Christmas With The Calvins
by PrincessTriSarahTops
Summary: *Previously My Dad Is Santa Claus* This is the story of how Scott Calvin became Santa Claus, how his daughter Jessica fell in love with the Head Elf, and how Santa fell in love with his son's High School Principal. Join the Calvins for some one the most important Christmases of their lives, and some of the days in between too! [Bernard/OC] [Scott/Carol] [Neil/Laura]
1. Chapter 1

Forty-one year old Scott Calvin tightly gripped his car's steering wheel as he backed out of his parking spot at B&amp;R Toys. He and his marketing partner, Susan, _had_ to show up to the company Christmas party because they were being honored for their successful ad campaign of the _Do-It-All-For-You-Dolly._ But the party had caused Scott to run late for his Christmas Eve plans.

The Calvin clan was scattered all over the place now a days. Scott and his ex-wife Laura had two kids together. Jessica, was the oldest at sixteen. Jessie got along with her dad best and always took his side during arguments. She was short for her age, only four feet, ten inches tall. She had her dad's straight brown hair, but her mother's deep green eyes. Charlie, the youngest, was only eight years old and he had long ago passed that age where his dad was his only hero. Charlie lived with his mother and her husband, Neil. Neil was a psychiatrist and he was always psychoanalyzing Scott and his kids. But for whatever reason Charlie idolized him. It killed Scott that his son liked that creep better. Though He knew he really only had himself to blame. After all Scott had agreed to the current custody arrangement where Charlie lived with his mother and Jessie stayed with her father. The kids spent alternating holidays with their parents, and this year it was Scott's turn to have both kids. Speeding down the highway, Scott pulled out his phone and called his ex-wife.

"Laura?" He questioned the answering machine. "I was hoping to catch you before you'd left your house. I ran real late today. You wouldn't believe the traffic out here!" At that moment some lady swerved in front of him from out of nowhere. She passed Scott, but not before holding up her middle finger to him. "Yeah, same to you! And that's not very ladylike!" He shouted, still on the phone with Laura's answering machine. "Anyway, I'll try to get to my house as soon as I can...Oh there's the problem right there! Three car pile-up! I'm really going to be late."

With a proper excuse on Laura's answering machine, Scott hung up. He was just about to pocket his phone when it began to ring. Looking at the caller I.D. he saw that it was Jessie calling.

"Hey, Princess I know I'm running late..." He began to apologize.

"Oh you're going to be late too?" Jessie laughed from the other end of the phone. _Too? Like father like Daughter._ Scott thought to himself as Jess continued. "Mom's going to be twice as pissed..."

"Hey don't swear, you're a young lady!" Scott interrupted her.

"Whatever," Jess rolled her eyes at his 'I'm your father' tone. "Listen, Brian and I won't be able to make it back for Christmas Eve and we might not be back for Christmas Day either." Brian was Jessie's eighteen year old boyfriend. Together the two kids had gone up Maine to celebrate the holidays with Brian's family.

"What?" Scott questioned the receiver. "No! That wasn't part of the deal! I only agreed to let you go with Brian because you promised me that you'd be home in time to spend Christmas Eve with me and Charlie!"

"Well I'm sorry Daddy," Jess apologized. "But the roads are too icy tonight. Brian's mom said they might be travelable tomorrow."

"Well, do you need me to come get you?" Scott suggested.

"Dad please, I don't think your car could make it all the way here!" Jess laughed. "No I'll be fine up here for another night or two. Please enjoy your time with Charlie. You hardly see him anymore."

"Well if you're sure. We're going to miss you Princess."

"I know Dad. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Scott sighed before hanging up the phone.

* * *

Charlie was sitting in the back of his stepfather's car with his head resting on his hands. His little eyes carefully watched every vehicle that passed. At long last Scott's car pulled into the driveway.

"Alright, let's go." Laura instructed her son with a sigh. She'd grown use to being disappointed by Scott.

"Bye Charlie!" Neil called as the boy climbed out of the car.

"Bye Neil!" Charlie replied before following his mother up the walkway.

"Oh, Sorry I'm late!" Scott called as he scrambled to the front door. "HI!" He greeted Laura.

"Where's Jess?" She asked immediately.

"Apparently she's still in Maine with Brian and his family." Scott snarled.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Laura was actually sorry to hear that her daughter wouldn't be home for Christmas Eve. She knew how much Scott liked to have his whole family together.

"Do you want to come in for a minute?"

"Neil's waiting in the car," Laura gestured to her husband's vehicle. "So..."

"Well, why doesn't he come in?" Scott invited.

"Cause Dad," Charlie butted in. "he says you'll just end up saying something snotty."

"Not necessarily." Scott looked away from Laura and Charlie to wave at Neil. "Could be rude, or sarcastic. Whatever it takes!"

"See." Laura sighed as Scott proved her husband's point. "I gotta go. Here." She handed Charlie's overnight bag to Scott and tried to walk back towards her car.

"It's Christmas Eve." Scott begged. "Just for a minute?" Laura sent an apologetic face to Neil in the car before reluctantly following Scott and her son into the house. Charlie immediately ran into the living room, leaving his parents alone in the entry way.

"So are you going to your mother's for Christmas?" Scott asked his ex-wife.

"We're going to visit Neil's family actually." She explained.

"Oh, Christmas at the pound." Scott laughed.

"I'm really sorry Jess is not going to be here." Laura apologized again.

"It's alright, Charlie and I are going to have a great Christmas Eve, right Sport?" He asked his son, who'd just joined his parents in the entryway.

"There aren't that many presents over there." Charlie complained about the pile of presents under the tree.

"Well, that's because Santa isn't here yet." His father said before turning back to Laura.

"Neil doesn't believe in Santa." Charlie said.

"Well, Neil's head comes to a point." Scott smiled at his own jab.

"He's smart!" Charlie countered. "He's a doctor!"

"He's not a doctor," His father disagreed. "He's a psychiatrist. Look, why don't you take your coat off? You're sticking around aren't ya?" Charlie went back to the living room and shrugged off his coat. Scott turned his attention to Laura once again. "Did that jerk tell Charlie there was no Santa Claus?"

"What?" Laura said. "No, oh, Charlie came home from school the other day in tears because some big kid told him there was no such thing as Santa. And, you know Neil...Well he sat Charlie down and..."

"He told him that there _was _a Santa Claus?" Scott said hopefully.

"Well...all he said was that Santa was more like a feeling. You know, more like a state of mind than a person."

"Kind of like Neil!" The ex-husband snarled. "And who gave you permission to tell our son there's no Santa Claus? I think if we're gonna destroy our kid's illusions, I should be a part of it!"

"It's not my fault you never broached the subject with Jessica!" Laura hissed. "Besides, you're never around for Charlie, Scott!"

"Oh, oh please!" Scott rolled his eyes.

"Listen," His ex-wife sighed, "all we are trying to do is give Charlie a firm grasp on reality."

"That's a good idea!" Scott said sarcastically. "You don't want kids running around using their imaginations!"

"Oh, yeah." Laura nodded. "This from the guy responsible for the _Do-It-All-For-You-Dolly!_ Don't burp me...don't you change me..." She mocked the toy.

"Why do you always have to fight?" Charlie demanded, looking up at his parents sadly.

"I, uh, swear we're not fighting!" Scott insisted. "It's your mom's singing."

"It sounds a lot like fighting." Charlie continued to frown.

"The trouble is, Neil and your mom, they don't believe in Santa because they were real naughty." His father explained. "Which is why they'll probably get lumps of coal in their stockings."

"I don't know." Charlie disagreed. "It seems kind of babyish to believe in that kind of stuff..."

"What are you talking about?" Scott laughed. "I believe in Santa Claus! I'm not a baby!"

"Well..." Laura countered.

"Maybe it's time you left?" He suggested. "We don't want to keep Dr. Pinhead waiting."

Scott left the entry hall so Charlie could give his mother a proper good-bye. Laura hugged her son and her clung to her.

"Do I gotta stay?" He questioned her helplessly.

"Listen, you and your daddy are gonna have a great Christmas, okay?"

"Will you pick me up tomorrow?" Charlie begged.

"Of course." Laura promised.

"We're talking sunup, you're here?"

"You'll be fine." Laura wrapped her arms around Charlie. "Merry Christmas Charlie." Laura kissed her son on the forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too, mom." Charlie said sadly. Laura gave a fleeting glance to her son before joining Neil in the car.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Scott was asleep in his bedroom when Charlie came racing in.

"Dad! Dad! Wake up Sleepy!" Charlie jumped on the bed and tried shaking his father awake. "Come on get up! Dad! DAD! Come on Dad!" The little boy sighed. "You should see all the neat toys!" Scott gained consciousness to find his son violently shaking him.

"Stop shakin' me Charlie!" He begged.

"Okay!" Charlie agreed before jumping off his dad's chest. "Come on, It's Christmas morning!"

"Great, go make same coffee." his dad mumbled before rolling over.

"Come on Dad!" Charlie insisted.

"Okay, okay." Scott grudgingly climbed out of bed. He was still waking up as Charlie dragged him down the stairs. Scott had the weirdest dream the previous night about a mall Santa falling off his roof and then he himself accidentally became _the_ Santa Claus. There was a grumpy elf named Barnaby and sweet Elf named Judy who made him some hot chocolate. The whole bizarre event was most likely induced by some bad food at the Denny's he'd taken Charlie too.

Scott scratched his stomach and felt an unfamiliar smooth fabric beneath his fingers. _Silk?_ He glanced down at his pajama shirt and was greeted by its bright red appearance. The letters 's' and 'c' were monogrammed on the shirt's pocket. These where the same pajamas one of the elves had given him in his fever dream the night before. Charlie, raced down stairs and started tearing open his gifts. His dad, who was now breathing heavily, flung himself into the closest chair.

"Are you okay dad?" His son asked him, noticing Scott's odd behavior for the first time.

" Yeah." Scott panted. "Just fine."

"Are you having a heart attack?" Charlie jumped to his feet. "I know CPR."

"No...I was just...SC..." his dad mumbled.

"Yeah, Santa Claus." Charlie shrugged. He assumed his dad would remember their adventure to the North Pole last night. "Hey, same initials as your name dad. Scott Calvin." The boy pointed to each letter in turn with sudden recognition.

"What?" Scott didn't understand how Charlie could've known about his dream. His attention was drawn away from the subject when the front doorbell rang. Assuming it was his mother, Charlie ran to answer the door. He was incredibly surprised when he swung the door open and found his sister standing there.

"Jess!"

"Hey Charlie! Oh I missed you so much!" Jess bent down and wrapped her arms around her little brother.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie smiled. "Dad told mom you wouldn't be home for Christmas"

"I wasn't supposed to be. Brian couldn't drive in the ice last night, but the streets cleared up enough this morning. He just dropped me off."His sister explained.

"Charlie?" Scott called from the living room. "Charlie, who are you talking to? Is your mother here already?" Jess threw her bags on the floor of the entry way and closed the front door behind her.

"Dad it's me, Jessie!" She hollered back to the living room. "I'm home!"

"Jessie?" Scott stepped out into the hall to welcome his daughter home. "I thought you said you couldn't make it back for Christmas."

"The roads thawed out enough for Brian to drive back." She explained again. "I'm sorry I could be here for Christmas Eve."

"Oh don't worry about it." Scott wrapped his arms around his daughter. "We didn't do much, did we Sport?" He looked down at Charlie.

"Are you kidding me?" Charlie laughed. "We went to the North Pole! Dad became Santa Claus!" Jess assumed this was part of some game Charlie and her dad played the night before.

"Oh did you buddy?" Jessie laughed, ruffling her little brother's hair. "Dad, uh...nice pajamas."

"Oh they're not mine." Her dad mumbled. "So, Brian didn't come in and say hello?"

"No, he had to drop his brother off at his girlfriend's house."Jess said as the doorbell dinged again. "I'll get it, it's probably mom. She doesn't know I'm here." Laura was incredibly surprised find her daughter answering the door to Scott's house.

"Jess! What a surprise! I thought you couldn't come home for Christmas?" She accused.

"I just got home." Jessie promised. She then went on to repeat her story for a third time.

"Oh Merry Christmas, honey!" Laura hugged her daughter.

"MOM!" Charlie yelled. He ran down the hall and hugged his mom as well. "Hey Charlie! Did you have a good time?"

"Great time!" Charlie promised. "The best!"

"That's great." Laura smiled. Scott walked down the hall to politely greet his ex-wife. "Oh, Scott." She scoffed. "Nice Pjs. Very festive. Where'd you get them?"

"I don't know." Scott shrugged earnestly.

"Judy gave them to you." Charlie reminded his dad.

"Judy?" Laura and Jess repeated together.

"Who?" Scott looked down at Charlie, ignoring his ex and daughter.

"Up in the North Pole!" Charlie said impatiently.

"Ah, one of Santa's little helpers." Laura nodded.

"Gross, Dad." Jessie said with disgust.

"Last night Dad and me went with the flying reindeer. It was really neat Mom! Dad was Santa and Larry showed me the workshop, you know where they make all the toys?" While Charlie recounted the previous night for his mother and sister, he gathered his stuff that was scattered around the living room.

"Gee thanks for keeping his feet on the ground." Laura whispered to Scott when Charlie was out of earshot.

"You bet." Scott said sarcastically.

"Honey, why don't you go wait in the car for a minute okay?" Laura suggested to her son.

"C'mon Charlie, I'll walk you out there." Jessie held out her hand for her little brother. The two of them walked outside together.

"So, uh, what have you been telling him?" Laura interrogated her ex-husband.

"Nothing." Scott promised. "It's just...I had this really strange dream. and I-I must have told him all about it...Wait!" He followed after Jessie and Charlie. To his dismay Neil was also there.

"Nice Jammies." The psychiatrist quipped.

"Thanks." Scott shot back. "Hey Charlie, about what you said in the house, who showed you the workshop?"

"The elf." Charlie replied plainly.

"How'd I get the pajamas?"

"I told you, Judy!" Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Oh wait!" Scott said with sudden realization. "Wait! Judy was the name of the waitress at the restaurant last night."

"Daddy, you took pyjamas from a waitress?" Jessie asked with a judgmental face.

"What's this all about?" Neil inserted himself into the conversation.

"Dad took me to the North Pole!" Charlie was getting tiered of repeating himself. "And Larry showed me the workshop."

"The North Pole?" Neil laughed. At this point Laura had joined the rest of the family outside.

"Yeah!" Charlie insisted. "Dad's the new Santa. The regular Santa fell off the roof and Dad put on the suit."

"Charlie, we'll...discuss this at home." Neil said cryptically. "Are you coming with us Jessie?"

"Neil, I don't you I don't like being called Jessie." Jess sighed. "And thanks, but I really just want to hang out with Dad for a bit. Maybe I'll stop by later if that's okay?"

"That's fine." Laura nodded. "Call us if you need anything." She kissed her daughter on the cheek before getting in the car. Scott and Jess said their goodbyes to Charlie, and the car sped away.

"Dad are you sure you're alright?" Jess asked her dad when they were alone in the house.

"What? Me? Yeah, I'm fine." Her father insisted. "It was just a dream! Stuff like that doesn't happen. I don't even wear pajamas! Normally I sleep naked! Buck naked!"

"Okay, TMI Dad." Jess' eyes widened.

"What does that mean? TMI? And since when do you not like being called Jessie?"

"Since Neil thought it was okay for him to call me anything other than Jessica." She shrugged. "Only you're allowed to call me Jessie. And TMI? It' means too much information."

"So how was Christmas Eve with Brian?" Scott asked his daughter.

"Not nearly as fun as Christmas Eve with you!" She laughed. "Brian's mom didn't burn the turkey, so we didn't end up at a Chinese buffet like last Christmas..."

"Hey that was two years ago!" Scott feigned offense.

"Either way, it wasn't the same without you." Jess sighed.

"That's my girl!" Her father beamed. "Well, c'mon, let's open your presents!"


	3. Chapter 3

Charlie returned to school much earlier than his sister, only two days after Christmas. The first day after the holiday break, Neil, Laura and Scott were all invited to Charlie's elementary school for Career Day.

"Can I ask Dad to go first?" Charlie asked Neil.

"Well, if that's how you feel, Charlie." Neil nodded.

"That's how he feels Neil!" Scott grinned. He was thrilled to be picked before Neil for the first time in a long time. "Nice sweater buddy!" The toy maker added before standing in front of the class.

"This is my dad, Scott Calvin." Charlie introduced his dad to the class. "He's got a really neat job!" he paused dramatically. "My dad is Santa Claus!"

"Oh boy." Scott mumbled as the other kids in the class began to laugh at Charlie. "I think, what he means is I'm _like_ Santa Claus." He clarified. "We're both giving, we're both jolly and we both work very hard one day a year." Scott chuckled uncomfortably.

"That not what I mean, Dad!" Charlie argued. "Look, On Christmas Eve, my dad pushed Santa off the roof."

"No Charlie...Ch-Charlie..." Scott tried to stop his son, but it was futile. He could already feel Neil's psychoanalytical gaze from across the room. All three adults and Jessie had already explained to Charlie that what he thought had happened at the "North pole" was just a story that Scott had told him. He wasn't actually Santa Claus. Despite everyone's insisting, Charlie continued to believe the story and he was taking it too far by bringing it into his classroom.

"Santa disappeared and my dad took his place."

"Charlie!" Scott tried to interrupt him again.

Then I went with him to deliver all the presents. Then the reindeer flew us to the North Pole where the head elf, Bernard, gave me this!" From behind Charlie's back he produced the snow globe that Bernard had given him at the North Pole.

"Look, I work for a toy company." Scott seized his opportunity when Charlie finally stopped talking. "I Deliver toys all over the country. So in a way, I'm _like_ Santa Claus." A girl at the front of the class raised her hand. "Yes, sweetheart?" Scott asked her.

"Do you make the toys?" the girl questioned.

"No, stupid the elves do!" A boy shouted from across the room.

"Bobby, we don't say 'stupid'." The teacher corrected him. "And we don't say 'elves'. They're little people."

"No! But they really are elves!" Charlie promised.

"Which one's your favorite reindeer?" The boy named Bobby prodded.

"Comet." Charlie answered for his dad.

"Oh, uh, I-I don't have a favorite." Scott mumbled, wiping sweat from his brow.

"You mean when I grow up, if I wanna be Santa Claus," Bobby questioned, "all I gotta do is push you off a roof?"

* * *

"Alright he said that. He said that it was the best Christmas he ever had?" Scott asked Neil and Laura as the three of them were escorted to the principal's office.

"Oh big surprise! What do you think?" Laura quipped.

"It's just nice to hear it from him!" Scott said. "Is that a problem with you?"

"All right." The principal said, getting everyone's attention. "So?"

"May I speak, please?" Neil piped up. "I am a doctor."

"No he's not!" Scott cut in. "He's a psychiatrist!"

"Please go ahead_, Dr_. Miller." The principal ignored Scott's outburst.

"I guess we know who's the teacher's pet." Scott mumbled.

"Scott! Grow up!" Laura hissed.

"The reason we're here," The principal said with a pointed look at Scott. "Is that this is far more serious, than a boy believing or not believing in Santa Claus."

"That's right." Laura agreed. "Because Charlie thinks that this whole thing actually happened!"

"Scott what was the last thing you and Charlie did before you went to bed on Christmas Eve?" Neil asked in what Scott referred to as his 'I'm a Doctor' voice.

"We shared a bowl of sugar." Scott replied thoughtfully. "Did some shots of brown liquor, played with my shotguns, field dressed a cat, looked for women." He concluded sarcastically. "I read him a book!"

"What book?" Neil implored.

"That Hollywood Wives." Scott replied. His voice still dripping with sarcasm. "_The Night Before Christmas_, folks!"

"And _did_ you go to the North Pole?" Neil pried.

"T-this is ridiculous!" Scott jumped to his feet. "I don't have time for this."

"Ridiculous or not Scott, for Charlie, this isn't some dream." The Principal said seriously. "It is real, you need to sit down with Charlie and explain to him that you are not Santa Claus."

* * *

After his heavy handed meeting with "Doctor" Neil, Laura and Charlie's principal Scott decided to just call it a day. He flung open the front door, not bothering to stop it from banging against the nearby wall.

"Daddy?" Jessie, who was still at home on vacation, called down the stairs. She been taken by surprise when he arrived home mid-day and slammed the door open. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked as her small figure could be seen running down the stairs.

"Yeah Jessie, sweetie, I'm fine." Scott quietly closed the front door behind him.

"How did Career Day go with Charlie?" Jess was almost afraid to ask.

"He told his entire class that I, am Santa Claus." Scott sighed.

"Oh. I thought he'd be over that by now." Jessie frowned.

"Apparently not." Scott sighed. "His principal says I need to talk to him, but Charlie's only eight! I don't want to ruin his illusions about Santa just yet."

"Well maybe you don't have to, let me try and talk to him." His daughter suggested.

"Really?" Scott said. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It can't hurt." Jess shrugged.

* * *

Scott allowed Jessie to borrow his car for the night so that she could take her little brother out. All she needed to do what get permission from her mom now.

"I don't know Jess." Laura frowned when she explained her plan.

"Charlie had a pretty traumatic day today. More excitement could further damage his psyche." Neil interject. _No one asked you Neil_. Jess did her best not to roll her eyes at her stepfather.

"I'm only on break from school for a few more days and I haven't really had much time to hang out with Charlie." Jess frowned. "All I want to do is take him to the arcade and maybe get this Santa Claus idea out of his mind."

"I want to go to the arcade with Jessie!" Charlie insisted. He'd been eavesdropping on his family's conversation since he saw His Dad's car pull up.

All right." Laura agreed at last. " but have him home by nine!"

"We will be!" Her daughter promised.

Jess brought Charlie to an arcade that they used to go to all the time before she started high school. Using money her dad have given her, she bought a bucket of tokens and played a few games with Charlie. Eventually they made their way over to one of Jess' favorite games; Skeeball.

"You know," Charlie said, picking up one of the balls. "The Elves say this is the same size as the perfect snowball." He smiled before sliding the skeeball up the ramp towards the goal cups.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to talk to you about that buddy." Jessie said before shooting her own ball of the ramp.

"I already know." Charlie sighed. "Dad's in denial."

"Denial?" Jess repeated. "You're eight! How do you even know what that word means?"

"I learned it from Neil." her little brother shrugged. "It's when something is true, but you think it's untrue."

"How do you know it's true, Charlie?"

"Just because you can't prove something, doesn't mean it isn't real!" Charlie argued. Jessie was trying to put things delicately because her dad had said he didn't want Charlie's beliefs crushed.

"Okay, Char, Listen to me buddy." Jess said very seriously. She placed one hand on each of his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to tell everyone about the North Pole."

"Why not?" Her little brother frowned.

"Well, sometimes we think we should tell people stuff because it seems like it's the right thing to do." She began. "But other stuff, is better if we don't share it."

"You want me to lie about Dad being Santa?" Charlie asked.

"No, not lie." His sister shook her head. "More like keep it a secret between me, Dad and you."

"How come?"

"Because of Mom and Neil." Jess sighed. "Not just because of them. There's your school...you don't want the other kids at school to be jealous do you? Because we're the only ones who get to have Santa as a Dad...and it might make the other kids jealous that they just have regular parents."

"Oh." Charlie nodded. "Okay, I'll keep it a secret!" He promised.

"Thanks Char." Jess smiled. "Now let's go play some games!"


	4. Chapter 4

Not long after the Christmas and New Year's holidays had passed, Scott woke up feeling unusually boated. Not thinking much of it, he shuffled his feet into the bathroom to begin his morning routine.

AHHH!" He caught sight of himself in the bathroom mirror and hollered with surprise. Scott had seemingly grown a beard and put on a significant amount of weight overnight. "Something's wrong with the mirror." He concluded.

"Dad?" Jess groaned sleepily from her room. Her father's shouting had woken her from a dead sleep. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine Princess!" Scott rushed to assure her. "Just ah, go back to sleep, it's pretty early." Checking the clock by her bed, Jessie realized her dad was right, so she rolled over and went back to sleep. With the bathroom door locked securely, Scott jumped on his home scale to weigh himself. Immediately the LED lights flashed 192 before climbing up another pound. The numbers continued to climb, so Scott jumped off the scale. "Something's wrong with the scale!" He insisted. Back in his bedroom Scott rifled through his drawers. The only thing he owned that would fit him were a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. It would have to do. Sighing, Scott dressed himself and drove to work.

* * *

After people at work noticed his strange appearance during a presentation for B&amp;R's new toy _Total Tank_, Scott decided to head straight to his doctor's office.

"Well, I-I don't know Scott." His Doctor said looking over the test results he'd just taken. "You're as healthy as a horse."

"Yeah, a Clydesdale." Scott remarked, gesturing to his inexplicably large stomach.

"Okay look. So what? You put on a little weight." The Doctor shrugged him off.

"A little weight?" Scott repeated in a panic. "Does this look like a little weight to you?"

"Well, weight can fluctuate from year to year." The Doctor concluded.

"Fluctuate?! You make it sound like I'm retaining Water!" Scott hissed. "I've gained 45 pounds in a week! Pete, what's happen' to me?"

"Well, that's your diet like?"

"Milk and Cookies." Scott mumbled.

"Really?"

"But I don't finish all the milk!" He added in.

"Well then, there's your problem!" The Pete sighed. "Just try to cut back on the sweets okay. Anything else?"

"Yeah. How fast does hair grow? Facial hair?" Scott questioned. "I shaved this morning and now I look like this!" He gestured to his fully grown in beard.

"Well it could be a hormonal imbalance."

"That would explain the mood swings." Scott mumbled.

"Yeah, well look at my hair! It's turning grey!"

"Oh it's middle age buddy!" His Doctor laughed. "It happens. And with that body, you should be thankful you have hair. Look if it bothers you, you can dye it. And you _should_ diet!" He joked. "Ah, Just kidding."

* * *

Scott was relieved to find Jessie wasn't home when he got there. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain his weight gain to his daughter who saw him every day. Though he knew the situation was unavoidable, and he'd have to talked to Jess eventually, it was nice to know he could put it off for a few more hours.

"Dad?" Jess's voice echoed through the house when she returned from her night out with her boyfriend. Brian was standing in the entry way with her, when Scott came down the stairs.

"Oh my god Dad!" Jess gasped. "Are you wearing sweatpants?" She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her businessman father in a sweat suit.

"Mr. C, rocking the relax fit, sweet!" Brian nodded with approval.

"Hey, um, Brian...I'll see you at school tomorrow okay?" Jess made a face at her boyfriend, suggesting he should leave.

"Okay yeah. See you tomorrow." Brian kissed her goodbye and left the house.

"Daddy, what's going on?"

"I...nothing really." Scott shrugged. "It's just...my sweatpants were the only thing that fit this morning. All that fast food we've been eating, I guess it went straight to my gut." He laughed jiggling his stomach. "And the beard and grey hair? Turns out I'm middle aged so..." He walked into the kitchen and started making a pot of coffee.

"Is that what this is about?" Jess asked, following him into the kitchen. "Are you having a mid-life crisis? or this about the Santa Claus thing? Because Charlie hasn't mentioned it since I talked to..."

"What?" Scott turned away from the coffee maker. "No, I'm not having a mid-life crisis!"

"I'm just saying dad," Jessie held her hands up objectively. "If Neil was here, he'd be having a field day."

"Hey!" Scott shouted as his daughter walked away. "I thought we agreed not to mention that name in this house!"

* * *

Months passed, and despite dieting and rigorous exercise Scott continued to put on weight. Things weren't much better in the facial hair department either. He had to shave his face three times a day to remain clean-shaven. Eventually he'd given up the fantasy of shaving all together. Things really came to a head that Spring. Charlie had a big soccer game against his school's rival team. Neil and Laura had invited Jess and Scott to come along. Scott gleefully accepted since it would be the first time he'd seen his son in awhile.

The father daughter duo arrived at the park before Neal and Laura so that sat at a nearby bench to watch Charlie play. After a few minutes Jess left to get a snack from the concession stand. Within seconds a little blonde girl replaced Jess at Scott's side. She tapped Santa on the shoulder, waiting for him to look at her.

"What?" Scott snarled.

"I want some ballet slippers." The girl said as she climbed in Scott's lap.

While waiting in line at the concession stand, Jess spotted her mother and Neil had arrived in the parking lot. Deciding it would be best to warn them about her father's appearance, Jess left the line to meet her Laura and her husband.

"Mom, Neil, I thought you should know that dad looks a little different." She explained. "He's put on some weight and..."

"And he has a line of kids waiting to sit on his lap!" Laura remarked with a look of horror.

"What, no..." Jess looked over her shoulder to see her dad seated at the same bench she'd left him at, but just like her mother said there was a line of kids standing in front of him. Scott jumped to his feet when spotted his ex-wife's disapproving look. Neil, Laura and Jess approached the would-be Santa with varying degrees of shock on their face.

"Hi, hey...this probably looks pretty odd, doesn't it?" Scott chuckled. "These kids lined up all by themselves!"

"Scott, I think it's safe to say you're taking this Santa think to an unhealthy level." Neil marveled. "Here's my card. Call me." He forced his business card into the other man's hand.

"Scott, I really have to tell you that this is beginning to scare me." Laura said seriously. "I never in my wildest, well, no, okay, maybe my wildest...but certainly never in my normal dreams would I...But then this _is_ Scott we're talking about and..." Scott looked to his daughter for help, but even she was having trouble coming to his defense this time. "It's just I never thought you would stoop to changing your physical appearance in order to make Charlie like you! Do you have any concept of how dangerous this is to a little boy?"

"Whoa, whoa, how dangerous?" Scott jumped in.

"Mom, what's the matter?" Charlie asked, running over from the field.

"Come on Charlie, we're going home." Laura said, grabbing her son by the arm.

"But we just started!" Charlie whined. His mother ignored his pleas and dragged him to the car. "Jessica, maybe you should come with us to." Jessie stood between her mother and father, not sure what to do.

"Oh no come on!" Scott called after Laura. "You guys stay, I'll go."

"If you don't get your act together Scott, so help me!" Laura threaten as Charlie climbed in the car.

"C'mon Jessie." Neil said as he draped a comforting arm around his stepdaughter's shoulders.

"I told you it's just Jess or Jessica." She groaned, shrugging his arm off. "I'll go with them just too see if I can calm Mom down." She told Scott before kissing him on the cheek. "I'll call you later Daddy."


	5. Chapter 5

After being forced to leave his soccer game early, Charlie locked himself in his room for the night. Sitting in their kitchen, drinking coffee, Neil and Laura were whispering about what to do. Jess hated when they did that. She hated when any adult did it. In her experience, adults only whispered when they had something negative to talk about. Her mother and father were in the Kitchen whispering the night they decided to get a divorce. Jess had been visiting the Thanksgiving that Neil and her mother decided to get married, they were whispering then too. Nothing good ever came from two adults whispering. She entered the kitchen and cleared her throat loudly in an attempt to gain their attention. Neil and Laura looked over at her like two kids with their hands stuck in the cookie jar.

"Are you guys talking about Dad?" She asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Jess didn't even drink coffee, but she felt that if she was going to join the adult discussion, she might as well have the necessary props. Taking a cautious sip of the bitter liquid, she waited for someone to answer her.

"Yes, we were." Laura admitted cautiously, she knew how sensitive her daughter was when it came to Scott.

"I think he's just having a mid-life crisis." Jess supplied. She assumed saying something like that might put her stepfather in full 'I'm a doctor' mode.

"Mid-life crisis?" Neil repeated. "While that is possible Jessica, I don't think that's what is happening here. I think it's more likely that last Christmas, Charlie and Scott made a connection through this illusion your father created. Since it's the first time they've connected in a long time, both of them have clung to this Santa Claus thing as a way of coping. I think they both fear that by letting go of the Santa Claus story, they'll be letting go of each other."

"Jess, how old were you when your father talked to you about Santa Claus?" Laura asked suddenly.

"He never had to." Her daughter chuckled ironically. "Mom, I was ten when you and Dad got divorced. That Christmas I asked for you two to be married again. You can see how well that worked." She raised her mug in Neil's direction. "Dad probably thinks that if he tells Charlie there's no Santa Claus, then he won't need Dad anymore. This whole Santa thing will pass. Just give it time."

"It's getting late." Neil said, noting the time. "I'll take you home, you must have school in the morning." Jess always did her best to avoid being alone with Neil. She just plain didn't like him. But it was getting late and she knew her dad would be worried so she let her stepfather driver her home.

* * *

When Neil return home that night, Laura was waiting for him outside. An ice cold mug of coffee still gripped between her hands.

"You know," The psychiatrist's wife sighed as he stepped out of the car. "I knew it, I knew that something was going on I-I just...What I can't believe is that he would go behind our backs all this time! Confusing Charlie again just...What are we suppose to do?"

"Well," Neil shrugged. "There's the obvious alternative." He and Laura had been discussing the "obvious alternative" before Jessica had barged into the kitchen.

"Are you sure taking away his visitation rights is the _right _thing to do?" Laura whispered.

"I don't think this is about what's right or wrong here Laura," Neil countered. "It's about doing what's best for Charlie. It doesn't have to be permanent, just something to put this whole Santa situation to rest."

"What about Jess?" His wife frowned.

"She'll be eighteen in two years." Neil said thoughtfully. "She's been living with Scott for six years, and seems to have adjusted just fine. I'll admit there may be some pent up aggression there but it's common among teenagers. I don't see any reason to rearrange her whole life for a couple years."

"You don't think keeping Charlie away from their father is going to rearrange her whole life?" Laura asked.

"Well, Maybe." Neil agreed. "But that could work to our advantage. Jessica might put pressure on Scott to end this whole situation. She's a smart girl Laura, she'll understand that this was our only option." Laura thought for a moment. She wanted to make sure she'd considered the situation from every angle before making a decision.

"Okay." The mother of two complied at last. "Okay."

"I'll have the paperwork drawn up the morning." Neil promised.

* * *

Two weeks, later Scott was just about to jump in the shower, when he heard a knock on the door.

"Jessie, could you get the door?" Scott called out to her.

"Sure Dad." He heard the sounds of his daughter bouncing down the stairs as he turned on the hot water. Jess climbed down the stairs and opened the door. A FedEx driver was standing on the other side with a clipboard in his hands.

"Hi," The driver greeted her. "I've got a delivery for S.C. You S.C.?"

"Scott Calvin's my Dad." She told him. "I'm Sixteen, can I sign for it?" The driver looked down at the list of approved signers. The only other name besides S.C. was Jessica Calvin.

"If you're Jessica Calvin, the paperwork says ya can." The drive agreed. "Sign here please." He handed her the clipboard and she quickly scrawled her signature along the appropriate line.

"There you go."

"Thanks, I'll get your packages." The driver accepted his clipboard and started walking towards his truck.

"Packages?" Jess repeated. Who would be sending her dad packages? He didn't really talk to anyone other than Laura, Neil and the people at work. His co-workers liked him just about as much as his ex-wife at the moment. Maybe he ordered something online or over the phone.

"Yeah, there's quite a few of them." The driver replied over his shoulder.

"Uh, okay. I'll leave the door open." She told the driver. "Just leave them inside here." Making sure the door was open wide enough for the driver, Jess ran back upstairs to interrogate her father. Scott had just finished his shower when Jess began rapidly knocking on the bathroom door.

"Daddy?" She called from behind the door.

"Yeah, what is it, Jessie?" Scott shouted back as he dressed himself.

"There was a FedEx guy at the door." She yelled back.

"Oh, what did he want?" Her father asked, seining the door open.

"Said you had some packages." Jess shrugged. "He let me sign for them."

"Packages?" Scott didn't remember ordering anything, nor did he see a reason for anyone to send him stuff. All the gift giving holidays were still months away. "Let's go check it out."

Together the two returned downstairs to find the entire entry way fill with literally hundreds of red boxes. Jessie peaked over the nearest stack on her tip toes and groaned.

"They go all the way into the living room! What is all this stuff?" She wheeled on her dad, who was looking around for a proof of sender. What he found was a wax sealed envelope. Curious, the would-be Santa opened it to reveal a short note in swirly calligraphy.

_"Here's the list, check it Twice! yours, B."_ Scott mumbled as he read the note aloud.

"All of this," Jess swung her arms wildly at the stacks of red boxes. "Is a _list_? A list of what Dad?" Lifting the lid of the first box she could reach, she peered inside. "It's a list of names. Boxes and boxes of names! Who would send you a list of names?" Jess's eyes grew wide as realization struck her. "Wait, did you say check it twice?" Without thinking she ripped the note from her father's hands. "Dad, this is _another _Santa Claus thing!" Jessica was at her wits end with this story. At first she didn't see the harm when it was just a game between her dad and Charlie. She did start to worry when Charlie didn't understand it was just a story, but she still assumed it was a phase and it would go away. Now, Jess wasn't so sure if her mother and Neil were wrong. "You know Mom's been thinking about keeping Charlie away from you."

"What are you talking about?" Scott demanded.

"Charlie told me that Mom and Neil want to get full custody of him." His daughter replied seriously. "I wasn't going to say anything at first. I mean, the information was coming from an eight year old. But dad, this could be something they're serious about."

"Oh please!" Scott scoffed. "You're mother would never do that!" Jess didn't have a response for her dad, so she didn't say anything. "I don't suppose you want to help me move the boxes into the garage?"

"Not a chance!" She laughed at him before going back upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Scott should have known better than to underestimate his ex-wife when she had her mind made up about something. Just as Jess had warned him, Laura and Neil had filed against him for full custody of Charlie. It had taken months for the Millers to get their paperwork through their lawyer, notarized and before a judge. The preliminary hearing was scheduled on December 19th, five days before Christmas Eve.

"I can't believe you're showing up like that!" Jess remarked as she walked down the hall with her father. Scott was dressed in a bright red reindeer sweater, and his snow white beard fully grown in.

"Jessie I don't know what you want me to do!" He snarled back at his daughter. "I shaved five minutes before we left the house."

"I can only defend you so much, Dad." She sighed as they joined Laura and Neal outside of Judge Whalen's office.

"Where Charlie?" Scott demanded immediately. It had been almost six months since he'd last been able to see his son. "I want to talk to him."

"He's with the judge." Laura answered dryly. "Hi Sweetie." She greeted her daughter. Jess had been to visit her mother and Charlie a few times in the past six months, but the daughter was never more than civil with her mother and stepfather. Jess was about to express an obligatory greeting to Neil when Charlie came out of the Judge's office.

"Dad!" The little boy grinned. Scott bend down and scooped up his son. "It's all okay. I told the judge everything about and the North Pole."

"Miss Calvin, could I speak with you please?" Judge Whalen asked Jessica.

"Yes, of course." She followed the judge into his office.

* * *

"Please, have a seat." Judge Whalen gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk. Jess immediately sat down in the closest chair.

"Now, Miss Calvin, you're sixteen years old is that correct?"

"Yeah, sorry, yes." She answered, deciding 'yes' sounded more mature than 'yeah'.

"It's alright, candid responses are more natural. And as a Judge, they help me make the best decision. Feel free to talk to me like you would anyone else."

"Okay." Jess nodded.

"All right, so you've been living with your father, Scott Calvin, is that correct?"

"Yes. My parents have been divorced for seven years now. Since then, Charlie moved out with my mom and I stayed at the old house with my dad. A few years later Neil came along and married Mom."

"How do you feel about your stepfather?"

"Candid answers right?" Jess laughed uncomfortably. "Neil tries too hard, at everything. I think it has to do with his profession. Psychiatrists by nature want to analyze everything. They have to understand it all. I think not everything has an explanation."

"That was a very well thought out answer." The Judge said, writing something down on the paper in front of him. "So let's get down to the matter at hand, Do you believe you're father is Santa Claus?"

"Of course not." She replied earnestly. "And I don't think my dad thinks he is either. He knows there's no such things as elves and he knows that reindeer can't fly. I'm sure you've already talked to Mom and Neil. This whole thing started out as a story between Dad and Charlie. It was just something special for them to share."

"Do you think Charlie would benefit from time away from your father?"

"I don't know." Jess shrugged. "They've been apart for almost six months already and that hasn't seemed to change his mind."

"Well," The judge scribbled a few more notes down, then closed the file before him. "Thank you for coming by today Miss Calvin. I think I have everything I need. Please send your father in."

Jessie did as she was told joined Neil, Laura and Charlie in the hallway while Scott talked to the Judge. Judge Whalen only talked with for ten minutes before he called all the adults back into his office.

"Is the judge going to tell me I can't see Dad anymore?" Charlie asked his sister when they were alone.

"I don't know buddy." Jess admitted sadly. "Try not to think about it alright? Why don't you tell me about how school is going?"

* * *

In the Judges Office, Neil and Laura sat in the two chairs facing the desk. Scott leaned on the room's only window, and all three parents waited for the judges verdict.

"After reviewing all of your testimonies, I've come to a very difficult decision." The judge sighed heavily. "I'm sorry to do this in light of the holiday season, but I think it's in Charlie's best interests that I grant the petition of Dr. and Mrs. Miller. Mr. Calvin, as of today, all of your visitation rights are suspended. Pending a hearing after the first of the year."

The adults walked out of the office with unreadable expressions.

"Charlie, say good-bye to your sister, we have to go." Laura told her son.

"I'll see you later alright, buddy?" Jess hugged her brother goodbye.

"Promise you'll still come visit all the time?" Charlie begged his sister with big eyes.

"I do." She promised. Charlie walked away, hand in hand with Neil and his mother.

"The Judge took away your visitations?" Jessie gave her dad a sympathetic look.

"I-I don't want to talk about it." Was all Scott could get out. He drove home with his daughter in the car and neither spoke to the other. When they entered the house a few stacks of red boxes were still scattered throughout the house. Scott walked over to the nearest pile and gave it a good hard kick. His daughter didn't know what to do or say, so she just went upstairs to her bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n: Thank you to suntan140, keacdragon, Sherlocked and the one guest who've reviewed this story so far! I really appreciate anyone who takes to time to leave a review on any of my stories and I especially love to hear they're well received! Thanks again, please continue reading, favoriting, following and reviewing!**

* * *

"Do you want to go for a walk around town? We could look at the Christmas lights." Scott was leaning on the doorway of his daughter's bedroom. Jessica sat on her bed reading her book and ignoring her father. "Oh come on! You love looking at the Christmas lights!"

"Dad, I just don't feel like Christmas this year." She rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe he was trying to coerce her into yuletide celebrations when he'd spent the past year pretending to be Santa Claus. "Dad, if I go for a walk with you to see the Christmas lights, can we skip everything else about Christmas this year?"

"Skip Christmas?" Scott remarked. He was about to argue when he remembered he'd already put a wedge between he and Charlie. It was probably best not to push Jessie away too. "Fine. If you come see the lights with me, no Christmas."

"I'll get my coat." She grabbed her down feather jacket and slipped her feet into her pair of Uggs. Jess would do anything to be rid of Christmas after the year she'd had, even if that mean walking around in the freezing cold. Together she and Scott walked in the snow for an hour looking at the Christmas lights and lawn decorations. Eventually they came upon a familiar looking neighborhood.

"Oh Daddy, no!" Jessie groaned when she spotted Neil and Laura's house. She couldn't believe her dad had concocted the entire 'Christmas lights' scheme just to get her to go with him to her mother's house.

"I just want to know how he's doing." Scott pleaded. "We're already here, what are you going to do, walk home alone?"

"You're ruthless you know that?" His daughter snarled. She reluctantly followed him down the street, to the Miller's front door. Scott knocked, grinning like a five year old when Neil answered the door.

"Hello Jess!" Neal greeted his stepdaughter politely and allowed her to enter the the house.

"Hey Neil." Scott forced entry into the home.

"Scott, you're not supposed to be here." Neil said threateningly.

"Don't make me beat you up, Neil." Scott puffed his chest up.

"Oh, would Santa really beat someone up?" Neil laughed.

"I'm this close!" Scott snarled.

"So you still believe you're Santa?" The psychiatrist questioned.

"I don't know." Scott shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know!" Charlie exclaimed. He came running in from the dining room. "Of course you are, Dad. How can you say that? Think of all those kids!"

"The only kids I'm thinking about, are you and your sister." Scott told his son seriously.

"Dad, we're fine! You can't let _them_ down. They all believe in you!"

"Charlie listen..." Jessie jumped in.

"You listen!" Charlie snapped at his sister. "You think you know who he is, you don't!"

"Charlie, honey, listen." His mother knelt down by his side. "You're confused."

"I know exactly who he is!" The young boy insisted.

"Charlie, Dad is not Santa!" Jess insisted firmly.

"He is too Santa!" Charlie insisted just as firmly. "We went to the North Pole together. I saw it! The elves are real old even though they look like me. Bernard called me 'Sport' because he knew everything. Right Dad?" This was it, this was the moment where Scott finally had to tell his son that there was no Santa. "Remember!" Charlie yelled.

He threw his special snow globe at his dad. Scott caught the toy with surprising dexterity. He stared into the snowglobe and watched it come to life in his hands. A row of houses lined the inside of the sowglobe. Above the houses flew a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. A smiled spread across Scott's face, a childlike twinkle appeared in his eyes. Without a word, he knelt down and held his arms open wide for his son. Charlie knew the snowglobe had helped his dad see the truth.

"Thank you, Charlie." Santa whispered in Charlie's ear as father and son shared a hug.

"I love you, Dad." His son whispered back.

"Could you guys leave us alone for a minute?" Scott looked up at Neil and Laura. "I mean, so I can say goodbye to him properly?" Neil opened his mouth to say no, but Laura nodded 'yes'. Jess went to follow her mother out of the room, but Scott called back to her. "Jessie stay."

"You saw!" Charlie marveled when the kids were alone with their father. "You saw the ball come to life!"

"You bet I did." Santa promised."Well, I guess I better go." He said rising to his feet.

"I'll get my stuff!" Charlie agreed.

"Get your stuff? Charlie, you can't come home with us." Jessie shook her head.

"We're not going home we're going..."

"Well, wait sport!" Scott interrupted. "I think it's a much better idea if you just stayed here with your mom."

"But I want to be with you Dad." Charlie frowned.

"Boy, I love hearing you say that." Scott smiled.

"You mean I can go?" The eight year old boy grinned. "And Jess, you'll come too right?" He looked up at his older sister. Jess didn't answer. She just stared at the guy who'd suddenly appeared in her mother's dining room.

"Boy this bird is dry. Haven't you people heard about basting?" The guy complained before putting down the turkey led he'd been munching on.

"Bernard!" Charlie remarked before running in the elf's direction.

"Hiya Sport!" The elf greeted Santa's son with a hug.

"Charlie, who is that?" His sister questioned. Bernard stood in the doorway uncomfortably as Jess studied him. He was wearing an unusual red and white striped tunic and plain brown slacks. A necklace made of jinglebells produced the tiniest of jangles as he walked. A velvet green hat rested on top of his curly hair and a brown satchel was slung over his right shoulder.

"This is Bernard, he's one of my elves." Scott told his daughter. He thought it would've been obvious since the elf had appeared at the table from thin air. _He's an_ _Elf_? Jess gasped internally. _He's Santa. My dad is actually Santa Claus._

"Head elf actually." Bernard corrected the new Santa. "Jessie, nice to finally meet you." He offered out his hand. She shook the elves hand politely.

"Aren't you a little tall to be an elf?" She questioned with a smile. Charlie and Scott were both surprised that she didn't correct the head elf for his liberal use of the nickname.

"Aren't you a little short for a human?" The head elf countered with his own smile.

"Touché." Jess laughed.

"Are you coming with us to the Pole?" Bernard questioned the teenage girl.

"Well, I'm not going to stay home alone." She promised. It still seemed impossible that Charlie and her dad had been right all along.

"Bernard, can I go? Please, can I go?" Charlie begged the elf, tugging on his sleeve.

"It's okay with me." Bernard said, looking over at Santa.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n: Thanks to Keacdragon for another review! Chapter 7 is a bit of a long one, but it's mostly fluff about the Calvin's at the pole! As always, I love to know what y'all think! Thanks for favoriting, Following, Reading and Reviewing! **

* * *

The workshop was a large circular room with enormous stained glass windows. Two large sets of stairs led to the upper level which housed various offices and was also where the main kitchen was located. Everywhere Jess looked there were brightly colored decorations or piles of toys. More toys were traveling on conveyer belts and being assembled by elves. Other elves were running through the workshop fulfilling their pre-Christmas duties. She had only been standing on the main floor for five minutes, and was already overwhelmed.

"How could anyone keep track of what goes on here?" Jess marveled as she watched Santa's helpers work.

"It's a tough job." Bernard agreed. "But someone's got to do it." He was trying to act casual about his job, but in truth Bernard loved being head elf. He liked that he had responsibilities. He liked that the other elves looked up to him both literally and figuratively. Through the years, the head elf had proven himself invaluable."Speaking of which, Santa you'd better start checking your list."

"Bernard you're right. There's only a few days left until Christmas!" Scott exclaimed. "I'll be with the list checkers. Charlie you want to come with me?"

"Well, I had a different idea." Charlie tugged on Bernard's sleeve so the head elf would bend down. He whispered something, and Bernard began to nod.

"Charlie has a couple of ideas for the Research and Development department." He explained. "I'll take him there myself if it's okay with you."

"As long as he won't be any trouble." Scott agreed. "Jessie, do you want to see the Naughty and Nice list?"

"I've seen the list, Dad." Jess rolled her eyes. "Remember it was _shipped to our house_?" She narrowed her eyes at Bernard, but he was too busy talking to Charlie.

"Oh yeah." Scott recollected. "Well, if you need me, any of the elves can show you the way." With that Scott headed upstairs to confer with his list checkers.

"C'mon Bernard!" Charlie pulled at Bernard's arm.

"Well Hang on Charlie, what about your sister?" The head elf questioned.

"I was wondering if I could help make some of the toys." Santa's daughter said.

"Do you know anything about making toys?" Bernard asked, crossing his arms.

"technically, no." Jess admitted sheepishly. "But I'm really involved in my High School's theater program. I build and design a lot of the sets. I bet I could assemble or paint toys." Bernard highly doubted Jessie could build elf quality toys, but he could see that she wanted to help.

"I can put you with the wooden trains crew." He replied after a thoughtful minute. Trains were easy enough to assemble, even Charlie could build one. If Jessie showed great promise with the trains, he could always move her up to something harder. "They're right over there. You'll want to talk to Cecilia, she's in charge of painting and assembling for all wooden toys."

"Thanks!" Jess bounced over to the area Bernard had pointed to. She had to ask around a little before finding Cecilia. Cecilia was a tiny blonde elf dressed from head to toe in powder blue. The Chief of Wooden Toys had a sharp eye for detail. She was standing over a workbench, painting spots on a wooden giraffe. "Cecilia?" The daughter of Santa Claus said quietly. She reached out to tap the elf on the shoulder but decided against it so as to not disrupt the painting process.

"Don't tell me the carpenters have stopped carving again!" Cecilia mumbled before she turned around. "Oh hello and who are you?"

"Hi, I'm Jess. Bernard said it would be all right for me to help paint and assemble trains." She answered. "That is if, it's alright with you." Cecilia couldn't really argue with orders that came from the head elf. Ignoring his wishes just wasn't worth the lecture.

"Are you any good with a brush?" She raised an eyebrow at the teenager.

"Yeah. I'm not so good with poka-dots." Jess admitted. "But I can free hand pinstripes and a few other things."

"I'll start you off on trains, since that's where Bernard wants you. It's not much of challenge. All solid, primary colors, you just follow the painting chart. But if you're half-way decent I'll try and get you moved up to animals or doll houses." Cecilia decided. Skilled painting took time and as a result she could never have too many painters. "Now, you can have the station next to Julie."

Jess sat down at the stationed she'd been assigned. A piled of trains was already stacked there. After quickly studying the diagram, she began painting trains and placing them on the drying rack.

* * *

Bernard led Charlie to the Research and Development department just like he'd promised Santa. Inside he introduced the boy to the department head, Quintin. Quintin had a strange accent that Charlie couldn't identify. They again he _was_ only eight.

"Charlie, I have a few things to check on in the workshop, are you going to be alright if I leave you here with Quintin?" Bernard asked.

"I'll be fine, Bernard." The boy promised. Bernard did a quick inspection of Research department before leaving to take care of his other duties.

"So, Charlie," Quintin said to the little boy. "Bernard tells me you have a few ideas to keep Santa safe?"

"Yeah, I have lots of ideas!" Charlie promised. "A fireproof suit for fireplaces, upgrade the sleigh for vertical take-off, a cookie dispenser..." Quintin's eyes gleamed as Charlie rattled off his ideas.

"Well what are we waiting for?" He smiled. "Let's get started!"

* * *

Bernard walked the floor of the workshop checking on the various departments. It was crunch time for the elves and as the elf in charge he needed to make sure everything went off without a hitch. _I should check on Santa._ He thought when he passed the door to Naughty and Nice List. Poking his head into the room, Bernard called out.

"Santa? Are you still in here?"

"Bernard?" Scott yelled from the back of the room. "I'm over her by the R's!" Bernard made his way over to Santa to see if he needed anything. "How are the kids?" The father of Christmas questioned.

"I left Charlie in Research about an hour ago. He seemed right at home there." Bernard promised. "I haven't been to check on Jessie yet, but Cecilia hasn't sent anyone to complain to me either. That's usually a good sign." Cecilia was very picky about her assemblers and painters. Even elves on the train crew were heavily criticized by her watchful eye.

"Who's Cecilia? And what's Jessie doing?" Santa asked.

"Cecilia is in charge of Wooden Toys." Bernard replied. "Jess wanted to help make toys, so I sent her to work with the trains crew."

"Oh you have to get her out of there!" Scott laughed. "Jessie's a fantastic painter. She designs all the sets for her school plays."

"I'm aware." Bernard growled under his breath. "I'll go talk to her now. Remember to check the list twice."

"I'll check it three times!" Scott yelled after Bernard once he left the room.

* * *

Jessie was painting two trains for every one the elves on either side of her could. As he approached the painting area, Bernard noticed the dramatic difference in the girl's ability to paint.

"Cecilia, could I have a word with you?" The head elf asked his underling while she put the finishing touches on a carousel horse.

"I know we're a bit behind, Bernard." Cecilia sighed. "It's because my carpenters keep taking unscheduled breaks. But that new girl you sent me, she fantastic! Best elf I've had in years. She paints circles around my regular team. Where'd she come from anyway?"

"She's not an elf." Bernard laughed. "That's Santa's daughter."

"Bernard, I don't have time for jokes! We have serious work to do." Cecilia snapped. "If you don't want to tell me that's fine. Please talked to the carpenters!"

"It's not a joke!" The head elf insisted. "Santa has two kids. His son Charlie, and his daughter Jessica. I came over to check on her." Cecilia could tell by Bernard's tone that he wasn't joking. She turned her eyes over to the train painting station and noticed the Jess's ears were rounded, not pointed. She was also wearing a grey cable knit sweater and jeans rather than typical elf dress. Cecilia felt ridiculous for not noticing sooner.

"I put Santa's daughter on train duty!" She said, looking suddenly horrified. "I'm so fired."

"Relax." Bernard insisted. "_You_ didn't put Jess on train duty, _I_ did. Are you okay with me moving her up to doll houses?"

"Be my guest!"Cecilia agreed quickly.

* * *

Charlie was sitting in the sleigh helping Quintin adjust a few features on the dashboard when he had an idea.

"Dad r_eally_ loves Judy's hot chocolate." The eight year old boy thought out loud.

"We elves really like it too." Quintin agreed as he reconnected a wire that was hanging below the dashboard.

"Do you think we could make a spot for a Thermos here?" Charlie rubbed his hand over a vacant area on the dash.

"No." Quintin said seriously. Charlie began to frown before Quintin rapidly added more. "I think we can do better than just a Thermos! How about we take your cookie dispenser idea and make a cookie and cocoa dispenser?"

"Yeah!" Charlie grinned widely.

* * *

Back at the painting station Bernard watched Jessie for few more minutes. She _was_ an exceptional painter. She followed the diagram from memory and rarely second guessed herself. Each piece she painted was meticulous and uniform. They were practically perfect. Jess heard him walking over from Cecilia's station. The bells around the head elf's neck jingled with his every step. Putting the finishing touches on her last train, Jess smiled up at Bernard.

"Cecilia tells me that you're quite the painter." He said while inspecting her trains up close. "That's high praise coming from her."Bernard lifted a completed train off the drying rack and turned it over in his hands. "She thought you were an elf." He teased.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Jess replied defiantly. She was enjoying making toys with the elves and wasn't going to let Bernard's teasing ruin it.

"Think you could paint a doll house?" Bernard wagged his eyebrows at her.

"Bring it on."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/n: Thanks again to keacdragon for yet another review! I'm only able to get these chapters out so fast because they're based off the movie. Hopefully when I have to fill in with my more original content my updates with be as quick! I'm almost done with the first movie so those "original Content" chapters will be coming up soon. I have the first one planned out but not much after that! Hopefully the story maintains its quality! Thanks again to everyone out there for reading, favorting, following and reviewing!**

* * *

Christmas Eve finally arrived. With Jess and Charlie's help, the elves were more prepared for the big night than they had been in years. Just hours before Santa and his reindeer would leave for the big night Bernard called for an important meeting. Scott, Charlie, Jessie, Judy and Quintin met him outside of the Research and Development Department.

"Good, everyone's here." Bernard nodded as he mentally took roll. "Santa, this is Quintin." He introduced Scott to the head of Research.

"Quintin, Good to meet you!" Scott shook the elf's hand. He was making a point to learn the names of all his elves.

"Hello Santa." The elf greeted him back. "Charlie and I have put our heads together, and I think we've got a few surprises for you." Quintin swung the doors to his department wide open, inviting the others inside.

"This is some of the best stuff that's come out of the workshop since...the ball!" Bernard marveled as he led the way.

"Fabulous." Santa said sarcastically. "Did you make me something in case I fall of the roof, Sport?" Scott looked down at his son hopefully. Charlie didn't answer his father. He just walked through the department proudly with Jessie and Judy on either. The tour stopped first at a metallic red jumpsuit. After ensuring everyone was a safe distance away, Quintin pushed a big red button that ignited two jets of flame. The flames shot up from the floor at the suit.

"Fireplaces will no longer be a problem." Bernard declared proudly. When the flames were extinguished the suit still looked shiny and new.

"It's a new fabric." Quintin explained. "Completely flame retardant. It's light, yet durable."

"And you can wear the jumpsuit underneath your coat and pants." Judy pointed out.

"But what do I do, if I fall off a roof?" Scott repeated his main concern.

"Just don't fall off the roof." Jessie suggested as if it were that easy.

* * *

Outside of the workshop, Santa was getting ready for his take-off. The reindeer were harnessed, his magic gift bag and all the presents were placed in the back of sleigh, there was even a seat belt up front for Charlie. While the elves gave to sleigh its final check, Scott noticed something in his seat. A red and white striped length of rope. _What's this?_ Santa thought to himself as he picked it up. There was a note attached to the rope: _From Comet to Santa._ Smiling Scott looked for the reindeer in the line-up of eight.

"Comet, did you make this card?" He asked. The reindeer produced a throaty noise of agreement and nodded his head. "It's a nice rope." He appraised the bundle in his hand. "This in case I fall off the roof?" Again Comet grunted and nodded. "Comet, this means a lot to me." Santa reached out and scratched his reindeer behind the ear.

The final checks were completed and all of the North Pole's residents stood outside to see Santa off. Charlie immediately climbed into the passenger's seat of the sleigh and buckled his seat belt. Jessie wrapped her arms around her father's neck to share a hug with him.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Scott offered to her one last time.

"I'm not a fan of commercial flying." Jessie's face twisted into a look of disgust. "I don't see how a sleigh would be any different. Merry Christmas, Daddy." Standing on her tip-toes, Jess kissed her father on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Princess." Scott replied. He sat down next to Charlie in the sleigh.

"Merry Christmas, Jess!" Charlie yelled down from his seat.

"Merry Christmas, Buddy!" She hollered back. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you before."

"It's okay!" Her little brother promised.

"All right, let's go!" Scott ordered, picking up his reins. "Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen..."

"On Comet, On Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!" Charlie finished for his dad and the reindeer began to hover above the ground. Scott and his son waved down at Jess, Bernard and the rest of the elves while they were talking off.

* * *

Scott and Charlie hadn't been delivering gifts for very long when they young boy had the craving for some hot chocolate. He leaned forward and immediately Scott began to panic.

"Charlie, stay in your seat!"

"Hang on," His son ignored him. "I Gotta show you this." Santa looked away from the sky to see what his son was doing.

"Oh, a CD. Compact Disk. Cool, Sport." He nodded before looking back up.

"No!" Charlie pushed a button and two cookies popped out. He pushed a second button and warm hot cocoa began to flow into two pewter mugs. "CD stands for Cookie and Cocoa Dispenser!"

"How could I have done this without you, Charlie?" Scott joked as he sipped from a cup of Judy's warm Hot Chocolate.

"You couldn't." The little boy replied seriously. "Look, there's Mom and Neil's street!" Charlie pointed at the city blocks below. "Can we go there next?"

"Sure." Scott agreed.

"Good." Charlie smiled. "Jessie helped me make something for them at the workshop."

* * *

With the reindeer and Charlie parked on the roof of Neil's house, Scott went down the chimney and began placing gifts under Laura's tree.

"Freeze!" An unfamiliar voice called out to Santa. On instinct Scott froze. He was surprised, but relieved to see it was only a couple of policemen.

"Oh!" Scott breathed with relief. "Ho-ho-ho! You officers really gave me a scare, Merry Christmas!" He said in his jolly holiday voice.

"No for you, fat boy!" One of the officers said as he turned on the light.

"Fat boy?" The father of Christmas repeated. He stood still as the two office removed him from the home. "Guys, I've got a lot of work to do. This is a big mistake really!" Santa's hat fell off as he was carried from the room. "You gotta watch the suit too. This is so old, it's an antique."

"Where's the boy?" One of the officers demanded. For the first time that night Scott was glad Jessie had stayed at the pole with Bernard, she be safe there. He didn't understand exactly what was going on, but he did have a feeling it had to do with Laura and Neil.

"Charlie?" Scott asked. "He's in the sleigh." Charlie watched helplessly from the top of the roof as his father was forced into a squad car and taken away.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/n: Huge thank yous to Keacdragon, Flowerchild23, BurBur and the one guest who reviewed Chapter 9! Also always I'm grateful for all of you taking time to review my work! Please enjoy Chapter 10, and continue Reading, Reviewing, Following and Favoriting!**

* * *

Bernard was sitting at his desk writing the outline for his post-Christmas speech. The new Santa didn't seem to be much of a planner, so motivating the elves would most likely fall into his lap _again_ this year. Jessie had followed the head elf into his office without really thinking about it. There was no place for her to go now that the toys were finished and deliveries were being made. Sure she could have sat with Judy and Quintin while they listened in on Santa's progress, but the Research and Development Department was overcrowded with elves. Bernard's office was quiet. The only noises in the room were coming from the quiet scratching of the elf's calligraphy pen as it danced across his parchment and the occasional crunch whenever the teenage girl bit into a new cookie.

"How did you learn to write like that?" Jessie questioned Bernard while she watched his hand create beautiful swirling letters.

"Write like what?" He looked up from his notes. He didn't see anything special in his handwriting. It was the way most elves wrote.

"The Calligraphy. Can I take a closer look?"

"Be my guest." Bernard had never let anyone look at his post-Christmas outline before, but there was something about Jessie's warm, trusting presence that softened his tough exterior. She stood next to him to get a better view of the artistic handwriting.

"You should see how ugly my handwriting is..." A light laugh, that reminded the head elf so much of a bell's jingling, escaped from the girl's lips. He was about to offer her calligraphy lessons when two elves burst into his office. It was Judy and Quintin.

"We've got a problem!" Judy announced worriedly. "Santa was at the Miller's, but he's not responding."

"I think it's time to deploy E.L.F.S." Quintin suggested.

"Did he just say it's time to deploy the elfs?" Jessie asked.

"No, he said E.L.F.S. it's an acronym for..." Bernard began to correct her.

"It's easier to just show you." Quintin insisted.

"Right," The head elf agreed. The group of four ran to the main floor of the workshop where Bernard tugged on a rope that hung from the ceiling. This sounded an alarm in the E.L.F.S. office. Jessie watched four elves dressed in flight suits run out of their office and towards the sleigh room.

"E.L.F.S." She read from the window above the office. "Effective Liberating Flight Squad."

"They're a highly trained team of elves." Bernard promised her. "We created E.L.F.S. hundreds of years ago for situations like this. How do you think Santa's gone so long undetected?"

"What about Charlie?" The boy's sister asked. "E.L.F.S. will make sure he's alright too?"

"Well we're certainly not going to leave him stranded on a roof!" Quintin assured her.

* * *

Stranded on a roof was exactly where Charlie Calvin found himself that night after watching the police arrest his dad. The sky was dark with only the stars for light. He might have thought it was pretty if he wasn't too worried about being stuck on Neil's roof forever. Four small figures, Charlie instantly knew to be elves, landed on the roof around him.

"Charlie?" One of the E.L.F.S. agents asked.

"Yeah." He answered cautiously.

"Don't worry, we're the good guys." The agent promised. "C'mon, let's go save Santa!" He offer a hand to the son of Santa.

"We can't." Charlie said, getting to his feet. "The police are watching this place."

"Yeah, they probably are." A second member of E.L.F.S. agreed. "But you see we weren't figuring on walking out the front door. "

"We find that we can get around a lot faster if we fly. Now, grab hold of my hand." The first agent offered out his hand again. Charlie took it this time without hesitation. "Okay, now hang on tight. And Charlie?"

"Yeah?" The boy asked.

"Don't ever try this without elf supervision."

* * *

"Bernard, can you take me to Mom and Neil's?" Jess asked the head elf.

"Transporting humans is difficult." He said with a frown. "I've never tried it before."

"I trust you." She promised before holding out her hand to him. Bernard knew it would probably help Santa if his daughter could smooth things over with Laura, but he also knew that if he lost the girl somewhere he'd lose his job. Sighing he gripped Jessie's hand tightly.

"Whatever you do, do not let go." He ordered. "And don't talk, I have to concentrate." Jess did as she was told. Holding Bernard's hand tightly she waited to be transported to Neil and Laura's house.

Two sets of feet landed safely in the center of the Miller's house. Immediately Laura and Neil rushed out of the kitchen to see what was going on.

"Jess!" Her mother threw her arms around her. "Oh where have you been? Where's Charlie?"

"Laura," Neil marveled. Hi stepdaughter and her friend had just appeared from seemingly nothing. "He's sucking us into his delusions!"

* * *

In the mean time, Charlie and the E.L.F.S. squad had arrived at the police station. A portly cop with a red handlebar mustache was chomping away at a doughnut.

"We're looking for Santa Claus." Charlie told the officer.

"Go home kids." The officer grumbled. "Visiting hours are over."

"We're not kids." The head of E.L.F.S. said. "and we're not visiting."

"We're here to bust out my dad." Charlie explained.

"You're the Calvin boy!" The office recognized him from the photos. "Who are these other kids?"

"We're your worst nightmare." One of the E.L.F.S. agents promised. While the officer was distracted the three other agents snuck behind him and forced him into his chair. "Elves with attitude!"

"I shouldn't have had that doughnut!" The office remarked as he was spun around in the chair. The E.L.F.S. team wrapped layer after layer of Christmas ribbon around the policeman to secure him to the chair. This gave the elves the opportunity to liberate Santa from his jail cell.

"Charlie!" Scott yelled at the first sight of his son.

"Are you okay Dad?" The boy asked, running over.

"I am now!" Santa breathed with relief when he spotted his E.L.F.S. team. Without another word the head agent removed a few stands of tinsel from his pocket and rubbed them along the hinges of Scott's cell. The tinsel cut through the hinges like butter allowing Scott to lift the door off the cell out of his way.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Another kind review from Keacdragon! Thanks so much as always! There's a bit of Neil and Jess bonding in this next Chapter, and hopefully a little JessXBernard fluff in Chapter 12! Please enjoy Chapter 11, I'm hoping to get 12 out by later tonight!**

* * *

At the Miller's house Neil, Laura and Jessie were arguing about something when Scott and Charlie returned there.

"Mom?" Charlie yelled, standing next to his dad in the living room. At first the others couldn't hear him over their own voices. "Mom! Neil! I'm home!"

"Isn't that Charlie?" Bernard, who could hear above the chaos with his elf ears, questioned. Jess, Neil and Laura listened for Charlie's voice. When they heard him the family raced to the living room.

"Charlie!" Laura shouted with relief at the sight of her son. "Charlie, oh my god! Sweetheart come here." Charlie did what he was told hugging his mother as she clung to him. "Oh my boy." She mumbled stroking his hair.

"Mom, I'm fine." Charlie assured her impatiently. "It's okay."

"I don't have a lot of time." Scott interrupted when he heard the sounds of siren's approaching.

"Did you leave the gifts Jess and I made under the tree?" The nine year old boy asked his dad.

"You bet I did." Santa promised.

"We'd better go then!" Charlie tugged on his Dad's sleeve.

"No, Charlie!" Laura said immediately. "No, no, no..."

"It's okay, Laura." Scott promised. He gave her a look, ensuring that he would take care of things properly this time. Charlie, who was afraid his mom may want to keep him away from his dad, was hiding behind his sister. "Actually Sport," Santa crouched down to look his son in the eyes. "I think it's a much better idea, for both you and Jessie to stay here with your Mom and Neil."

"Really?" Laura didn't believe what she was hearing.

"But, Dad..." Jessie and Charlie both started to argue.

"No buts." Their father told them firmly. He put his right hand on Charlie's shoulder and used his left hand to hold one of Jess's. "I can't be selfish, kids. I can't be with you all the time. We're a family. The two of you, me, your mom..." He looked over his shoulder where Neil was leaning forgotten against the wall. "And Neil." The stepfather smiled back it was nice to be recognized even if it was by a crazy person. "They need to be with you too."

"I'll miss you too much!" Charlie wailed. He gripped his father tight and began to sob. It was all happening too fast for Jessie. She'd lived with Scott her whole life, even after her parent's divorce. It was always her and her dad against the rest of the world. Biting back tears of her own, Jess watched as Charlie cried into his father's shoulder.

"Listen to me," Scott said peeling his son off of him. "There's a lot of kids out there, okay? Millions of kids. And they're...they all believe in me. They're counting on me Charlie and I'm not going to let them down. I've got a lot of work to do."

"So I can't be selfish either." His son snuffled.

"You gave me a wonderful gift Charlie. Listen, a wonderful gift." Santa explained. "You believed in me when nobody else did. You helped _make_ me Santa. Selfish? Come on. You're the least selfish person I know."

"I love you Santa Claus." Charlie said as he wiped away the last of his tears.

"I love you, Son." The father of Christmas stood and turned over to his ex-wife. "Laura, what do you think, Christmas Eve I'll spend it with Charlie and Jessie?"

"Oh my god." His ex-wife remarked when she truly saw him for the first time. Her own tears brimmed over and dripped down her face. "It's you. It really is you. You really are...Santa Claus."

"Pretty cool, huh?" He laughed. "And you're parents thought I'd never amount to anything."

"Wait, don't go yet!" Laura ordered. "I have something for you..." She ran from the room. Neil was still entirely convinced this was a delusional episode. Charlie had his arms wrapped around Scott's waist, and Jessie had a hand over her mouth. She didn't speak for fear of completely losing her composure.

"Princess, don't look at me like that." Scott begged his daughter.

"You can't leave!" She managed to choke out.

"What's all this boo-hooing goin' on here?" Bernard demanded. The family hadn't even noticed the elf slip out of the room. He wanted to give them a chance to figure things out on their own, but it was starting to get depressing.

"I'm just saying goodbye to Charlie and Jessie, Bernard." Santa Claus explained.

"What, goodbye?" Bernard was confused. "Charlie you've still got the glass ball I gave you last Christmas, right?"

"Yeah. " Charlie kept it by his bed so he could watch it come to life before he fell asleep each night.

"Well all you've gotta do is shake it whenever you want to see your dad." The elf promised. "He can come back to see you anytime day or night. And Jessie, you'll be eighteen in a year. Once you're finished with school, you can come live at the pole if you'd like."

"Really?" Charlie was the one who asked, but both he and Jess looked relieved.

"Hey, have I ever steered ya wrong?" Charlie shook his head no and Laura returned to the room with a folder in her hands.

"Here." She stood by the fireplace and held the folder between her hands. "It's um...well it's my Christmas present to you. It the...ah, it's the custody papers." She said before throwing the papers into the fire. "And I want you to come and see the kids as often as you can."

"You can count on it." Scott looked over at his two kids. "Thanks, Laura."

"Merry Christmas." She replied.

* * *

Scott and Bernard had to leave to deliver the rest of his presents, which gave Neil and Laura plenty of time to talk to the police. Charlie and Jess went upstairs to clean out the guest room. Which had just become her room. There was a knock on the door and Neil entered.

"The police are taken care of." Their stepfather said. "Jessica could I talk to you?"

"uh, yeah, Charlie why don't you give us a minute?" Sensing this wasn't a conversation he wanted to witness, her brother scurried out of the room. "What's up?" She asked Neil, sitting on the bed.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I know you and I haven't always been on the best of terms." He sat down next to Jess. "You and Scott have always been very close, and you must have felt like I was putting a wedge between that. I've never wanted to replace your father..."

"I know that Neil." she assured him. "I just...I always wanted to be normal. You know one dad, one mom. When I was ten, I was the only kid in my class with divorced parents. A few years later you and Mom were married. Then I was the only kid with a stepfather. Now, my Dad is Santa Claus."

"Not everyone who has two parents is normal either."

"Yeah, I know. You should meet Brian's parents, they're a wreck." She rolled her eyes. "I guess my point is, by the time Id realized that there wasn't anything wrong with having divorced parents or a Stepdad, the damage was already done. So I kept treating you badly because that's how things had already been."

"Well, maybe since you'll be staying here, we can get to know each other better." Neil suggested.

"I'd like that."

"MOM!" Charlie was yelling from downstairs.

"Just when I thoughts things were quieting down." Neil sighed. At the bottom of the stairs Neil and Jess saw Charlie violently shaking his snowglobe.

"This stupid Ball's not working!" Charlie complained. Scott stepped through the front door with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey Sport, you missed me already?" he laughed. "I've been gone, what thirty minutes? give me a break. I was on my way to Cleveland." Charlie didn't say anything, He just launched himself into his dad's arms. "Do you wanna come for a quick ride?"

"Please, Mom?" He begged Laura who was standing right behind him.

"Go on, get out of here!" She waved the two off.

"Wait Dad!" Jess called from the stairs. "Can I come too?"

"I thought you hated flying?" Scott asked.

"Just once couldn't hurt." She sighed. "Just um not over any oceans or not too high..."

"Let's go, I have a lot to do in just one night!"Santa said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/n: Much love to Flowerchild23, Starrat, and the one guest who took the time out of their day to review Chapter 11! As I said before I love reviews! They just help me feel motivated. Chapter 12 is a bit of a fluff piece, but I hope you enjoy it just the same! As always, thanks for Reading, favorting, following and Reviewing! **

* * *

It had been almost two months since the Christmas that Scott Calvin had officially accepted his role as Santa Claus. He had been introduced to all of the elves and had even been putting in a valiant effort to remember all their names. Things had even calmed down at the Miller household. Jess had gotten all of her things moved in and was starting to develop a routine. Even Charlie had begun calling on his dad less and less. Which is why Bernard was so surprised when Santa came into his office on Valentine's Day.

"I thought I'd find you in here." Scott looked down at the elf accusingly. "Why aren't you giving out cards with the rest of the elves?"

"I'm not much of a well-wisher." Bernard snapped. He returned to the piles of papers surrounding his desk. Everywhere he turned were packets from Elves requesting time off. Now that busy season was over everyone wanted their hard earned breaks.

"I was hoping you could do me a favor, if you're not too busy that is." The Head Elf looked up from his paperwork with interest. He'd do just about anything to take a break from the seemingly endless requests. "I have a meeting with the Easter Bunny and I was supposed to be there...five minutes ago. He wants to meet with me to discuss ways to improve gift distribution."

"You want me to meet with the Easter Bunny for you?" Bernard was surprised. None of the past Santas had ever asked him to meet with a member of the Legendary Figures Council before.

"NoHoHo, I don't want you to meet with the Easter Bunny." Scott laughed. "Charlie keeps calling for me on the snowglobe, I was hoping you could go down and talk to him for me. You know, just let him know I'll be down there as soon as I can."

"Sure Santa." The head elf pushed away from his desk and stood up."I'll check on him right now. I'll let you know if it's anything you should be worried about." Concentrating on the Miller's House in his mind, Bernard transported himself. There was a new side table in the hall and Bernard bumped into it as he appeared. Laura, who'd heard the disturbance from the living room, came to check on the noise.

"Oh, hello Bernard." She greeted the elf kindly.

"Mrs. Miller." He nodded his own greeting. "Santa sent me, he said Charlie's been calling..."

"He seemed fine when he came home from school." Laura shrugged. "But it's been a week or two since he's talked to Scott, maybe that's it."

"Maybe, do you mind if I go up and see him?"

"Be my guest." Laura invited.

Bernard climbed up the stairs expecting Charlie to be in his room. He was surprised to see the nine year old boy sitting with his ear pressed against Jessie's bedroom door.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" The elf whispered.

"Bernard!" Charlie whispered back with relief. "Jess' in her room."

"I figured as much, Sport. Why are you listening at her door?" The elf crouched down next to Charlie and leaned against the wall.

"She picked me up after school like she always does." Charlie said. "But when we got home, she locked her door. She's been crying."

"Has she been crying since you got home?" Bernard asked. Charlie nodded. "Why didn't you get your mom, she's right down stairs."

"Because, I thought maybe Jess missed Dad. Could you talk to her Bernard?" _This so isn't part of my job description._ The elf thought as he massaged his forehead. At the very least he could talk to Jessie, find out why she was upset and report back to Santa. After all that was why he'd come all this way. To see what Charlie needed. He should just go the extra step and see if Jessie could be helped.

"I'll talk to her." Bernard agreed. "But you should probably go to your room or something. She won't be happy if she finds out you've been listening."

"Thank you Bernard!" Charlie hugged his favorite elf before sneaking off to his room. Bernard stood up again and knocked on Jessie's door.

"Mom, I'm really not hungry." Jessie's muffled voice called from the other side of your door.

"Uh," Bernard cleared his throat not sure what to say. "Jessie, It's me Bernard. Can I come in?" He heard a soft click as the door was unlocked. Then the handle jingled and the door swung open.

"Bernard," Jessie greeted him with puffy red eyes. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Well, Charlie's been calling for Santa all day. Santa had an appointment with the Easter Bunny so he asked me to check things out. When I got here Charlie said you've been crying all day.."

"Oh my god, this is so embarrassing." Jess hid her face in her hands. "You should just go back to the workshop. Tell Charlie that I'm fine."

"And Ah, what should I say to Santa when he asks why you were crying?"

"Just...tell him that my boyfriend Brian broke up with me. Since that's technically what happened." Jess sighed. She wiped at her eyes with the end of her sleeve.

"Oh you shouldn't do that," Bernard mumbled before rummaging through his satchel. It makes your eyes redder when you use your sleeve, that's why tissues were invented. Here." He offered a green silk handkerchief out to her. She took it thankfully and dabbed under her eyes.

"Forgive me for intruding," Bernard didn't know what he was thinking, this was none of his business and Jessie clearly didn't want to talk about it. Yet he couldn't stop himself when the next words tumbled out. "But, ah, Do you want to talk about it?"

"I want to forget the whole thing ever happened." Jess groaned, throwing herself on her bed. Bernard stood just inside Jess' still open door not sure what to do or say. It had never been his job to be comforting before. That was usually Judy's preferred hobby. The head elf tended to avoid emotional baggage at all costs. "I just...Today's Valentine's Day...Do you celebrate Valentine's Day at the pole?"

"Um yeah, some of the elves do." Bernard nodded.

"Well, there's a few hours between when I get out of school and when Charlie gets out of school so Brian and I were suppose to hang out." Jess was talking, but her mind wasn't really in her bedroom with Bernard. Instead she was replaying the afternoon's event's over and over in her mind. "So we went to the park to hang out in his car. We do_...did_ this all the time. We...started kissing..." She admitted awkwardly. Her eyes filled up with tears. "And then Brian decided he wanted something a little more than that. I said no, but he tried it again."

"Did he...?"

"No, no." Jess promised. "After I said no twice, we argued for a bit. He said he earned more than just kissing after two years together. I said I still wanted to wait, so he told me to get out of his car and that he never wanted to see me again. I walked the two blocks back to school and got my car. I know it's stupid to be so upset..."

"It's not stupid." Bernard disagreed. "Two years is a long time for a high school relationship." The elf made a mental note to ensure Brian Andrews found his way onto the naughty list when he got back to the pole. Bernard crossed the room and sat on the bed next to Jessie. She leaned her head on his shoulder and rubbed the smooth fabric of his handkerchief between her fingers. "You did the right thing, Jessie."

"Then why do I feel so bad?" She cried. Her eyes were leaking again, and the girl tried to control her breathing.

"Because you had your heartbroken." Bernard had never been in love per say, but he did remember how he felt when he lost his first Santa. Within hours a new Santa arrived at the pole. A centuries younger Bernard was devastated at the older elves' ability to simply forget the previous Santa. "I think Santa is still in his meeting, but would you like me to get your mother or Dr. Miller?"

"Thank you, but no." She sniffled. "I know they're both trying, but I'm not comfortable talking to them about stuff like this yet."

"It doesn't make you uncomfortable talking to me?" He was surprised. Many of the elves at the pole were afraid of asking Bernard simple questions, but here Jessie was practically sobbing on his shoulder.

"No." She dabbed her eyes. "You're easy to talk to. You don't ask too many questions and you don't try to analyze me." Bernard didn't dare mention that he had been analyzing the situation the entire time. Jessie had managed to stop crying again and she looked down at the Handkerchief in her hands. It was a small square of fabric with a large red 'B' embroidered in one corner. "Judy gives me one every year for Christmas." The elf said as he followed her gaze.

"They're beautiful." Jess said in aw. "I wonder where she gets them."

"She makes them." Bernard answered. "You can keep that one if you'd like."

"You don't mind?"

"I told you, Judy gives me one _every year_ for Christmas. That's a lot of Christmases when you're an elf." He laughed. "You can keep it, as long as you promise me you won't cry about that loser Brian Andrews anymore."

"Thank you, Bernard." Jess leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Jessie." Bernard grinned.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/n: Thank you too Keacdragon, Starrat &amp; Barrelracergirl28 for your reviews of Chapter 12! I'm glad to see that this story is not only well liked, but that it is seen as different from other fics! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that my story is enjoyed by others! I just hope I don't let y'all down! Chapter 13 is another bit of fluff, but I'm trying to give Jess &amp; Bernard a reasonable amount of time to fall for each other! So please enjoy Chapter 13, and as always, thank you for favoriting, following, reading and reviewing! **

* * *

"Quintin? Are you in here?" Bernard hollered. He had an idea for something that would require the help of the Research and Development Department.

"Over here Bernard!" The Department head replied from the back of the office. Determined to get what he'd come for, the Head Elf made his way over to Quintin.

"Are you here to tell me my request for time off in the middle of May has been denied?" Quintin frowned.

"No...You put in for time off in the middle of May?" Bernard still hadn't gotten through his large stack of requests yet so he only had himself to blame for not knowing this.

"Wife wants me home to spend time with the kids." Quintin explained. "So if that's not what you're here for, how can I help you?"

"Right," Bernard nodded. "You mentioned before that you've been doing work on elf magic and its effect on human communication devices?"

"It's a side project I've been working on for some time. I wanted to find a way to connect cell phones to the North Pole phone system. So that kids can phone Santa rather than just writing to him."

"Right, how far along are you with that?" The head elf asked with intrigue.

"Well, like I said it's just a side project..." Quintin shrugged. "Let me show you what I've done so far."

* * *

It was a Saturday afternoon, Charlie and Jess were playing a board game in the living room when someone knocked on the back door. The siblings exchanged a look. Whenever someone visited they always used the front door. Jess unfolded her legs from under the coffee table and got to her feet.

"Just stay there Charlie." She ordered her little brother. She made her way over to the back door and opened it cautiously. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found a familiar elf standing in the backyard. "Bernard, you scared us half to death. Come on in..." She opened the door and waited for him to step through.

"My intention was not to scare you." He assured the teenage girl.

"Bernard!" Charlie launched himself at the elf as his sister secured the back door.

"Hey Sport," Bernard greeted him. "Were you guys playing a game?"

"Yeah, Chutes and Ladders. It's one of my favorites." The boy said. "Wanna play with us?"

"Well, I came to talk to Jessie, but maybe I'll have time for one game." The elf replied.

"Okay."Charlie left Bernard and Jess standing by the door so he could reset the board game pieces.

"You came all this way to talk to me?" She asked. Sure she and Bernard had bonded a month back when she needed someone to talk to, but she didn't think he'd want to carry out an actual friendship with her.

"Well, more specifically to give you something." Bernard opened his bag searching for what Quintin had made for him. From his satchel the elf removed a silver snowflake shaped device.

"What does it do?" Jess asked, accepting the device from him.

"Well, according to Quintin, if you plug this end here," He pointed to a tip on the snowflake that stuck out more than the others. "into the headphone jack on your cell phone. You'll be able to call the North Pole whenever you like."

"Really?" A wide smile spread across Jess's face. "Well what number do I dial?"

"The technology is still under development, so as of now it's only connected to my office phone." Bernard said, almost apologetically. "You just push this button here in the center of the snowflake, and that will call my phone."

"But it really works? Like it won't fry my phone or anything?" She looked down at the tiny device in her hand.

"Quintin's team assured me that the elf magic makes it one hundred percent compatible with any cell phone."

"This is amazing, Bernard." Jessie said.

"It's nothing." The head elf waved her off. "I figured Charlie has his snowglobe so now you'll have you Snowflake. It will work no matter where you are, whether you have cell phone service or not."

"This is not nothing. It's...How can I thank you?"

"Give me a call sometime." Bernard shrugged. "You know, so that I know it works." He added as an afterthought. The last thing he wanted was for Jessie to feel uncomfortable about his gift. "It's a project Research and Development have been working at. They want to give kids the chance to Talk to Santa or us elves instead of writing letters."

"Then I'll call you sometime soon." She promised. "Can you stay for a game with Charlie and I or do you have to get back to work?"

"One game can't hurt." The elf said.

* * *

Jessie made good on her promise roughly two weeks later. Following Bernard's instructions She plugged the snowflake into her headphone jack and then pushed the button in the center. Holding the phone up to her ear, she waited for Bernard to pick up.

At the North Pole, Bernard and Santa were in the elf's office talking over some new toy ideas. With a plate of cookies and two steaming mugs of Judy's hot chocolate, they heavily discussed which toys ought to be chosen for the upcoming Christmas production line. Had it not been for Bernard's superior hearing the ringing phone may have gone completely unnoticed.

"Sorry Santa, let me just check the phone," Bernard interrupted the big guy before reaching for his phone. "Bernard the Head Elf speaking?" He questioned the receiver.

"Bernard, it's me Jessie." She cheerily replied.

"Jessie, yes, hi." Bernard looked over at Santa, gauging his reaction.

"Jessie?" Santa repeated. "_My_ Jessie?"

"Yes." The elf answered with his hand over the phone. "Would you like to talk to her?"

"Uh, yeah." Santa held out his hand demandingly. Of course he wanted to talk to his daughter. "Jessie?"

"Daddy?" Jess was surprised to hear her father's voice on the phone.

"Hi Princess, say how does this work?" Santa asked.

"It's this special thing Bernard and Quintin made for my phone. I can call the North Pole whenever I want. This is the first time I'm using it."

"Well this is great Jessie." Santa smiled. "Say let me give you back to Bernard since you called him. I'm just in his office because we were talking over new toy designs."

"Actually Dad, I was calling to talk to you anyway. Mom and Neil wanted to know if you could come down for Easter Dinner." Jess invited.

"Let me check with my right hand man, Bernard?" Santa questioned.

"Hmm?" The elf nodded, he'd already turned his attention back to the toy diagrams on the desk.

"Am I free for Easter Dinner with the kids?" Bernard looked over at his calender before replying.

"Easter's on April 7th this year...Yeah that shouldn't be a problem."

"Jessie, Bernard says it shouldn't be a problem. So tell your mother I'll see you in two weeks."Scott promised his daughter.

"Can't wait to see you and I'm sure Charlie will be thrilled too. We both miss you so much. I'm sorry Daddy but I have some homework, so I have to keep this short." Jess explained. "But uh, before I go, can I talk to Bernard?"

"You...you want to talk to Bernard?" Scott narrowed his eyes at the elf. Without waiting for his daughter to respond, he handed the phone to the elf across the desk. Bernard took the receiver from Santa and noticed his perplexed look.

"Jessie?"

"Bernard, would you like to come to Easter Dinner too?" Jess proposed.

"Well I don't know Jessie...I've never been to an Easter Dinner before..." Bernard mumbled.

"All the more reason to come, please?" She tried not to sound like she was begging, but the elf could hear in her voice that she really wanted him to be there. Even Santa seemed interested in the idea of him tagging along and they all knew Charlie would enjoy it.

"Alright. Yes. Santa and I will both see you on Easter for dinner." Bernard assured her before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/n: Thank you too GracefulWolvesInTheNight, Flowerchild23, Lady Minuialwen, and Chaos Infinity-X for your reviews of Chapter 13! I enjoy reading everyone's opinions and hearing where you think this story will go! Chapter 14 is a short one and it's a bit of a filler, but hopefully it's setting up for something bigger! Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, favorting and following! **

* * *

Laura, Jess and Charlie had decorated the entire house for Easter Sunday that year. Everywhere Neil looked there were plastic eggs, cartoon rabbits and other pastel Easter decorations. The logical part of his brain was telling the psychiatrist that his family was overcompensating to impress Scott. The other part of him was saying that it was a holiday and he shouldn't care why his wife and kids wanted to decorate the house so extravagantly.

"Coming through!" Jess yelled from the kitchen. Neil stepped to the side so she could passed by him with a bowl of steaming mashed potatoes. "Look alive Neil." She commanded over her shoulder. Placing the bowl at its designated spot on the table, Jess turned back to her stepdad with a smile. "Seriously Neil are you alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I was just thinking." He sighed.

"It's a holiday Neil, try to relax." Laura suggested as she entered the dining room with her own bowl of vegetables. "Can you help me with the ham?" She asked her husband. The two adults left the room to fetch the ham.

"Do you think Dad and Bernard will be here soon?" Charlie asked. He'd accepted the job of setting the table because it was very important to him that the table looked just right. Jess could understand why, not only was this the first time they'd seen Scott in weeks but it was also the first holiday that the Calvins and the Millers would be together.

"I hope..." There was a knock on the back door and Jess ran to answer it. Scott and Bernard were standing in the back deck, each with a bouquets of flowers. Scott greeted his daughter with a hug and a kiss before entering the house. Bernard stood outside awkwardly.

"Um, these are for you." He moved his arm forward stiffly, and offered the bouquet of sunflowers to Jessie. "The other elves informed me that it is polite to bring a gift for the hostess of a dinner party and Santa assured me that Sunflowers were your favorite."

"Thank you, Bernard." Jessie smiled as she accepted the flowers from him. "Why don't you come in?" The teenage girl and the elf joined the rest of the family in the dining room. Neil was already seated at the head of the table, all the Easter dinner fixings lined up before him. Laura was in the kitchen, putting the flowers Scott had given her in a vase. Charlie and his dad were also seated at the table talking. "Have a seat Bernard, I'll put these in water." Jessie joined her mother in the kitchen.

"You know," Laura said as she fluffed her own bouquet of flowers. "I think becoming Santa was the best thing that happened to your father."

"Yeah." Her daughter agreed as she reached for an empty vase. "I think it's been good for all of us."

"Well you and Bernard seem to be getting along well." Laura smiled. She'd finished arranging her own flowers and had begun helping Jess.

"We're just friends Mom." Jess rolled her eyes.

"Well I'm just saying you never invited any of your other _friends_ to dinner before."

"Let's just eat." Jess sighed before dragging her mother into the dining room.

* * *

"That was a delicious meal, Mrs. Miller." Bernard appraised, leaning back in his chair.

"I'd forgotten how good your cooking was!" Scott agreed.

"Well I hope you saved room for dessert!" Jessie said as she stood from her chair.

"Santa always has room for dessert." Bernard joked from the seat next to her.

"This coming from the elf who won the cookie eating contest last week." Scott laughed.

"Cookie eating contest?" Neil and Charlie repeated. "When do you find time to get any work done?" The Psychiatrist asked. Jessie went into the kitchen for a minute before returning with a cheesecake.

"Now, I made this from scratch," The teenage girl said."So if it's terrible...keep it to yourselves." Everyone laughed while dinner plates were cleared and replaced by dessert ones.

"You know Jessie," Bernard said with his second forkful of cheesecake in his mouth. "This is delicious. I hope that when you come to stay with us at the pole you make this again."

"Stay at the pole?" Jessie asked with confusion. Bernard looked across the table to Santa, worried that he'd said something he shouldn't have.

"What Bernard means," Scott set his fork down. "Is that the elves have been hoping you and Charlie would want to spend you summer at the North Pole."

"The whole summer?" Charlie's eyes widened."Oh can we Mom?"

"Well I..." The suggestion had completely blindsided Laura.

"Charlie, I think you should give you mother time to think about it. She's going to miss you and your sister if you're gone for the whole summer." Scott tried to smooth things over. The last thing he wanted was for Laura to say no purely out of spite.

"I don't think it's such a bad idea." Neil said from the other side of the table. "As long as they finish out the school year..."

"Please mom! Please can we go?" Charlie begged.

"Well, what do you think Jess?" Laura looked at her Daughter. She would turn eighteen soon and was old enough to make her own decisions.

"I'd like to go." Jess replied quickly. "I can look after Charlie, and maybe help with the toys again."

"Cecilia would love to have back." Bernard agreed.

"Alright." Laura agreed. "Alright, you can spend the summer at the North Pole."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/n: As always large bucket of thanks to Keacdragon, Chaos Infinity-X, Starrat, TheRealTayler13, Flowerchild23, and Shadow97! OK so here's a few spoilers for anyone who wants to know. Jess and Charlie spend their summer at the pole and Jess will move up there after she turns 18. And I'm, thinking about having 6/7 years between the first and second film but I probably wont cover all of it detail. As far as what happens when Bernard and Jess actually get together...I haven't decided yet...Ok spoilers over. I love all the questions and compliments this story receives, especially the ones telling me how unique it is! So a huge thank you again for favoriting, following, reading and reviewing! Please enjoy Chapter 15!**

* * *

"Reindeer?" Neil observed a pair of reindeer grazing in his backyard. "Laura, did Scott send reindeer to pick up the kids?" Laura joined her husband at the window.

"Yes. He told me it was the easiest way to get them to the North Pole." She said.

"What about the sleigh?" He asked looking away from the yard.

"The Sleigh's too conspicuous." Jess said. She and Charlie had just entered the room.

"Oh of course." Neil replied sarcastically. Sarcasm wasn't part of his usual list of verbal tropes, but Scott's current occupation often generated more questions than it answered.

"Well, we'd better go." Jess supposed. With large duffel bag slung across her chest she held out Charlie's backpack to him. The recently turned ten year old quickly put it on and said goodbye to Laura and Neil. "Take my phone for the summer." The teenage girl forced the phone into her mother's hands. "It won't work at the pole anyway, and it's the only way you'll be able to reach us." Jess explained how to used the snowflake device that was attached to the phone before saying goodbye and meeting Charlie in the yard.

"Ready to go Charlie?" She asked her little brother who was already sitting on Comet's back with a makeshift saddle from the elves. He nodded so she swung her right leg over the back of the second reindeer. "Ok Comet, Dasher, Take us to the North Pole!"

Bernard was pacing nervously outside the stables at the North Pole. He wished he'd gone with Comet and Dasher to collect Jessie and Charlie. So many things could go wrong, but Santa insisted that they would be fine. Biting his lip and walking past the stable entrance once more, Bernard continued to wait. The sound of shuffling snow could be heard in the distance as a chubby elf walked towards his superior. Bernard recognized the face of his number two elf as far back as the workshop entrance. It was Curtis, the keeper of the Christmas Handbook.

"Bernard!" Curtis shouted as he neared the stable entrance. He was short, even for elf, Bernard noted. The round silver glasses he wore somehow made him look even smaller. A young elf at the ripe age of eight hundred and ninety three, Curtis took his duty as Keeper of the Handbook a little _too _serious for the head elf. He was always ranting about this rule or that rule not being observed at the pole and was no doubt on his way over to lecture Bernard about another guideline he'd neglected in his thousand year reign in charge of the other elves.

"Curtis." Bernard sighed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was in the kitchen talking to Abby and Judy." Curtis explained in a huff. "They said Santa's kids are coming to stay at the North Pole. Is this true?"

"Yes Cutris, it's true. Please enlighten me on which Christmas bylaw I've over looked." The head elf rolled his eyes. Curtis frequently forgot that the previous Keeper of the Christmas Handbook had been Bernard himself.

"Page one thousand three hundred, article five subcategory E." Curtis rattled off while flipping through the pages of the Christmas Handbook. "_In the interest of preserving Christmas magic for children around the world, no human child shall permanently reside at the North Pole._" He didn't look up as he continued to read aloud the next section. "Article five Subcategory F_: In compliance with the above subcategory, should Santa Claus have any child slash children..._"

"_Should Santa Claus have any Child slash children born outside of the North Pole, they must permanently reside elsewhere until their eighteenth birthday._" Bernard recited the book of Christmas verbatim. "I know Curtis, I've read the book. And I suppose you neglected to read subcategory G which states_: A human child_ parenthesis _not born within the North Pole's borders_ close parenthesis _shall be allowed temporary residency at the North Pole for no greater than five months_!" Curtis read over subcategory while Bernard practically shouted it at him.

"Oh, you're right." The younger elf frowned. He knew Bernard hated when he approached him about the rule book, but Curtis was just trying to impress him. Everyone looked up to Bernard. He always knew the right thing to do and the right thing to say. He was hard to surprise. Bernard watch his second in command frown down at the Christmas handbook. Curtis had come all the way out there to try and help and all he'd done was shout. It wasn't Curtis' fault he was worried about Charlie and Jessie making up to the pole safely.

"Charlie and Jessie are only staying during their summer break, which is well under the five month allowance." Bernard promised. "And Jessie turns eighteen in the middle of October anyway." Despite Bernard's assurance that all of the pole's rules had been followed, Curtis still looked displeased. "Look, they should be arriving any minute." The head elf explained impatiently. "Would you like to stay and meet them?"

"You don't mind?" Curtis' eyes widened excitedly. Bernard rarely let him sit in on diplomatic greetings. No matter how informal this one may be, it was still an honor.

"Well you'll have to meet them eventually..." Was all Bernard could say as Comet and Dasher appeared in the sky.

The reindeer landed smoothly just a few feet from where Bernard and Curtis stood. Jessie jumped off of Dasher's back and helped Charlie off of Comet before running towards her best friend. Bernard and Curtis had been carefully walking through the snow when the teenage girl attacked the head elf. Jess had flung her arms out to hug Bernard, but didn't account for the additional weight of her duffle bag and Bernard wasn't expecting for Jessie to throw herself at him which caused him to lose his footing. As a result, Bernard topped to the ground with Jessie flopping down on top of him.

"I'm so sorry!" Jess apologized. She leapt to her feet and offered Bernard a hand. Curtis gasped as Bernard stood up. The typically poised elf was doubled over with laughter.

"Are...are you alright?" The head elf managed to cough out through his laughter.

"Yes," Jessie promised, now laughing herself. "Are you..."

"Oh, I'm-I'm fine." Bernard breathed. After a second or two the laughter subsided and he was able to greet Charlie with a straight face. "Hey there Sport, I see you made it here okay." He ruffled the little boy's hair.

"Yeah. It was real fun riding Comet." Charlie grinned.

"Well, I'll tell the stable elves that you can take him out for a ride whenever you want, if you promised to stay in the center of town." Bernard replied.

"Really? That'd be great!" Charlie smiled before giving Bernard a hug too.

"Hrrr-hmm." Curtis cleared his throat to remind the others that he was there.

"Right," Bernard nodded at him in acknowledgement. "Jessie, Charlie, I'd like you to meet my second in command, and the elfish Keeper of the Christmas Handbook, Curtis. Curtis, these are Santa's children Jessica and Charlie Calvin." Jess and Charlie politely shook hands with Curtis.

"It's nice to meet you both." Curtis smiled. "How long will you be staying exactly?"

"Don't answer him." Bernard ordered Jessie. "Curtis, don't you have some important work to do?" The head elf leaned forward just a little so he appeared to tower over Curtis.

"No." Curtis shrugged, not taking the hint.

"Well, I have to show Jess and Charlie to their rooms. So why don't youget dasher and Comet back into their stalls." Curtis then understood that he'd overstayed his welcome.

"Sure things boss." The younger elf nodded. "Jessica, Charlie, it was nice meeting you!"

"Nice to meet you too Curtis!" Jess replied as he collected the two reindeer and disappeared inside the stable.

"Let me take that bag from you..." Bernard held his hands out for Jessie's duffel. "Actually I insist, I can't have you taking out any of my elves like you did me."

"I thought you said you were fine!" Jess laughed, handing her bag to him just the same.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/n: Thank you to Keacdragon, Starrat, And Chaos Infinity-X for your reviews of Chapter 15! I wanted to bring Curtis into things early so that it makes more sense when he becomes more heavily involved. I don't know if I have time to get anything new out in the next few days, so I wanted to put 16 out for you guys to enjoy! It's a bit of fluff, and maybe cliche, but Jess &amp; Bernard share their first kiss! Can't wait to see what ya'll think! Thanks as always for reading, favorting, following and reviewing! (p.s. Thanks Chaos Infinity-X for your suggestion, I'll keep that in mind. It's kind of the direction I was leaning towards as well.) **

* * *

Jess yawned and stretched her hands high above her head. She glanced at a clock that hung on the wall, it was just past two in the morning. Three weeks of the summer had already passed and most nights she slept just fine, but occasionally there was a night here or there where she just felt restless. The guest room that had been assigned to her was nice enough. A green paper boarder of jingle bells surrounded the bright red painted walls. There was a dresser for her to store her clothes in and a floor length mirror tucked into one corner. Someone, probably Bernard, had also put an easel and a set of paints in another corner. The silky sheets, and warm fluffy comforter were probably the most comfortable ones Jess had come in contact with, so it wasn't the bed that kept her up at night either.

Whatever the cause, Jess found that on nights where it was difficult to sleep, a short walk around the workshop usually did the trick. Peeling back the sheets, she tucked her feet into her warm fuzzy slippers. There was a soft, green bathrobe hanging by the door, which she wrapped around herself before stepping out into the hall. The hallway that housed the guest bathrooms led directly to the main floor of the workshop. Once on the main floor, Jessie usually liked to have a look at the new toys the elves had finished that day. On this night in particular she noticed something unusual. Bernard's office lights were on. There was no way he was still working at that time of night, the other elves had ended their work day hours ago. Climbing the stairs to the upper level, Jess decided she'd turn off the lights in Bernard's office before returning to her room for the night. Jess swung the door to Bernard's office open wide and she was surprised to see that he was actually still in there.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She mumbled quickly. The door began to shut but Bernard called out to her.

"Wait Jessie, stay. That is...I mean if you want to..." He was overtired and didn't really know what he was saying. Or so he thought at the time.

"Well, I didn't mean to disturb you." Jess said as she stepped into the office and closed the door. "It's just, I couldn't sleep, and I saw your lights were on, so..."

"No, it's okay." Bernard assured her. "I have trouble sleeping at night sometimes too. So I come up here and I-I work." He laughed.

"Is that why there's a cot in your office?" Jess questioned. She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the object in question. Last Christmas when she'd seen it, she just assumed he used it during the busy season.

"Yeah...Sometimes I do such a good job of working myself to sleep, that I can't make it back home." He admitted embarrassed.

"I usually just walk around the workshop." Jess confessed. "I hope that's okay. I don't ever touch anything or mess with the production line..."

"It's alright, feel free to walk the floor whenever you want. You might even be able to improve a few things. You know, I've have enough work for one night..."

"I'm sorry, let me get out of your hair..." Jessie turned to leave, but Bernard stepped out from behind his desk.

"Before you go, would you like to join me for some hot cocoa and cookies?"

"Yeah." Jess smiled. "That sounds great." She reached out and laced the fingers of her right hand between the fingers of Bernard's left. Giving his hand a comforting squeeze, she looked up at him. "Lead the way, Mr. Head-Elf."

Still holding Jessie's hand, Bernard guided her to the main kitchen where Judy's special recipe for hot chocolate was served on tap. Despite the fact that the kitchen elves had all gone home for the night, the lights were left on 24/7. Cookies, other desserts and even select meals were kept in food warmers over night for midnight snacking.

"So mugs are here." Bernard pointed to a wall where hundreds of pewter mugs hung from pegs. "But the question is," He dropped Jess' hand to search the nearby shelves. "Where do we keep the plates?"

"You mean to tell me you don't know where the plates are?" Jessie teased. "I thought you knew _everything_."

"Well," Bernard sighed as he continued to look around. "I hardly ever eat during normal meal times. Abby or another kitchen elf usually brings food to my office. And when I eat late at night, which is very rarely, I don't take a plate...Ah hah!" The head elf had found what he was looking for and slid one white ceramic plate off the shelf it was housed on. "So what's your favorite kind of cookie?" He asked walking towards the cookie warmers. "I'm partial to chocolate chip myself."

"Sugar cookies are my favorite." Jess told him before sliding two mugs off the wall. Bernard stacked a small pile of chocolate chip and another of sugar cookies onto the same plate, before putting the plate down on the counter. He helped Jess fill the mugs with hot chocolate and the two began to enjoy their snack. "This was a good idea." The teenage girl decided as she bit from her cookie.

"Definitely." Bernard agreed, sipping from his mug.

"Oh...Bernard you've got a little something on your..." It was more than a little something. Bernard's whole upper lip was covered in a hot chocolate moustache. Jess searched the immediate area and found a stack of napkins next to their plate of cookies. Using a clean napkin she wiped the chocolate stain off her best friend's lip.

"Thanks." Bernard typically didn't like to be touched, but there was something about the gentle flourish in Jessie's movements that was comforting. She was leaning against the steel kitchen counter, with a bright smile on her face. He stared at her wondering what was it about her that was so fascinating to him. Jess looked back at him, not sure herself what she'd done to attract the attention of the world's most important elf. Somehow, when her green eyes locked sights with his pair of light brown ones, something clicked in each of their brains. The teenage girl and Santa's head elf leaned forward involuntarily.

Bernard and Jess' first kiss didn't last longer than five seconds. The instant their lips found each other's, someone else entered the kitchen. Panicked, Bernard tugged Jessie into a nearby food pantry. They listened and waited for the kitchen to become vacant once more.

Santa had decided to visit the kitchen after a typical late night cookie craving. He'd seen Bernard's light on but when he'd gone to invite the elf along, he wasn't in his office. Naturally the father of Christmas just assumed he'd find his right hand man already in the kitchen. That's why he wasn't the least bit surprised to find two practically full mugs of cocoa and a plate of cookies already laid out on the counter. Obviously Bernard and Curtis had been up late working when they'd decided to have a midnight snack.

"I don't mind the snacking boys," Santa said picking up the two mugs and bringing them to the wash station. "But you've got to clean up after yourselves." Pilfering the plate of cookies for himself, and armed with a fresh mug of cocoa, Scott left the kitchen and headed back towards his room.

"I can't believe I'm one of those girls who hides from my dad in the closet so he doesn't see me with a boy." Jess fretted as she and Bernard stepped back into the kitchen.

"Technically it's a food pantry." Bernard hissed. "And I haven't been a boy for fifteen hundred years."

"I...well...you know what I mean." Jess fumbled. "I'm sorry. I'll just... go back to my room now."

"Let me walk you back. Santa might still be out there, and I can hear much farther than you." He offered his hand out to he and Jess accepted it. Bernard walked her back to her room before sleepily flopping onto the cot in his office.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/n: Thank you too Flowerchild23, Starrat, Keacdragon, Chaos Infinity-X, and the one guest who review Chapter 16! I'm thinking there will be three or four more chapters before we get into _Santa Clause 2! _Hopefully I can get those three/four out before Christmas! So please enjoy Chapter 17! Thanks for reading, Favoriting, Following and reviewing! **

* * *

The next morning, Jess was working at a painting station in the doll center. She decided the amount of attention painting doll faces required_ should_ be enough to keep her mind from thinking of Bernard. Charlie sat on a stool next to her. He was testing a new handheld video game for Quintin and his team. Bernard himself was also doing his best _not_ to think about Jessie. It was difficult to do when every division of the workshop, from Cecilia in woods to Nigel in instruments, wanted to know when it was their turn to work with Jessica Calvin; the best painter at the North Pole. After circling the doll center for a third time that morning, the head elf decided he'd be more use somewhere else. His resolve was to check on the reindeer in the stable, but before ducking out of the workshop, he slipped a note under Jessie's elbow. She probably wouldn't have noticed the note if Charlie hadn't pointed it out a few minutes later.

"Hey what's that?" Her brother pointed to a yellowish piece of folded paper. Jess looked down to where he'd indicated and saw her name written in a familiar, swirly print.

"It's a note from Bernard." Jess answered before slipping it in her pocket.

"Well what's it say?" Charlie asked.

"None of your business." Jess replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"You're weird." Charlie giggled at her. "Is it a love note?" He said it so seriously, without an hint of teasing.

"What? Where would you get an idea like that?" Jess demanded.

"Something I heard Quintin and Judy whispering about. They said Bernard loves you." Jess rolled her eyes at Charlie.

"You shouldn't listen to other people's conversations." She told him. "And you definitely shouldn't repeat rumors you hear either."

"Whatever." Charlie shrugged. "I've got to bring this back to Quintin, it still has a few bugs..." He leapt off his stool and walked away. With Charlie out of sight, Jess took out her note an read it over.

_Jessie, I'd like to talk to you. Meet me in my office. Same time as yesterday. -B_

Folding the note up again, she looked to the large clock that hung in the workshop. It was only eleven. Fourteen hours before two AM. It was going to be the longest fourteen hours of her young life.

"Hey Princess!" Santa greeted his daughter. Jess looked over her shoulder to see Scott walking towards the doll center. "Wow that looks great!" He appraised, lifting a finished doll from her workstation. "Everyone keeps telling me what a great job you do, I guess they're right. You know you're suppose to on vacation."

"Yeah, I know." Jess agreed. "I actually have a lot of fun painting the toys. Plus it helps you and Bernard out, so I'm happy to do it. We have a rotating system where I work through every department's painting team." Scott set the doll back down where he'd found it.

"I don't suppose you could take time out of your rotating system to hang out with your old man." He looked down at her.

"I always have time for you, Dad." Jess promised. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Well I was thinking maybe we'd collect Charlie and the three of us could go see a movie?" Santa suggested.

"You guys have a movie theater up here?" This was the first Jess had heard of this.

"Are you kidding me? You've been here a month, Bernard and Curtis never mentioned the movie theater in the center of town? They know how much you love movies..."

"Well let's go!" Jessie insisted. A movie would be the perfect distraction for at least an hour or so.

* * *

After spending the rest of the afternoon with Charlie and her Dad, Jess was finally able to get her run in with Bernard the night before out of her mind. The head elf in question had avoided her for most of the day, and she was starting to wonder if the whole event had just been a dream. Jessie may have even believed it to be a dream, had she not found a note in her pocket before turning in for the night. It fell out of her jeans as she changed into pajamas. Two AM was still five hours away, but the workshop had been cleared of workers already so Jess didn't see any reason why she couldn't sneak up to Bernard's office.

Bernard wasn't shocked or stunned when he heard a knock on his office door. Sure it was quarter past nine and most elves had concluded work for the day, but Curtis, Judy or someone else often came to invite him to their social gatherings. He typically refused of course, especially after June first. There was simply too much work to be done. But perhaps this time he'd say yes, if only to clear his mind before meeting with Jessie.

"Come in!" he invited the knocker. He _was_ surprised to watch Jessie slip into the office and close the door silently behind herself. Maybe that was the reason he was so draw to her. From the first day they'd met, she had this uncanny ability to catch him off guard. She'd wanted to work in the workshop rather than tour it. She felt comfortable talking to him rather than her mother. Then there was her recent arrival that had sent the pair of them tumbling in to snow.

Jessie was still standing by the door, unsure if she'd done the right thing by coming to his office early. Bernard didn't look mad though. If anything, he was pensive about something. She'd seen his features form that thoughtful face before. Whenever another elf approached him with a problem, he'd stop and think for a long while before making the right decision. Maybe that's what had drawn her to him in the first place. He was calm, controlled and calculating. It was a nice contrast to her very uncertain childhood.

"I'm sorry, should I leave?" She asked.

"No, let's talk." Bernard said seriously. Rather than move to a chair as he'd expected, Jessie crossed the room and sat on his plushly decorated cot. _When in Rome_, he grumbled to himself before sitting a cubic present's length away from her. "Jessie, I enjoy spending time with you." He managed to get out.

"And I enjoy spending time with you." She assured him.

"Listen about last night..."

"So last night..."They both began to say at the same time. They each laughed at their own awkwardness.

"Do you realize I'm two thousand four hundred and eighty-two years older than you?" Bernard sighed.

"Well I knew it was at least a few hundred years but, now that you mention it, a couple thousand is far too much of an age gap." Jessie was teasing him, but the frown on Bernard's face suggested he couldn't tell.

"I should have known." He nodded. "A millennium is considered a sizable gap even among Elves."

"Bernard!" She shoved his shoulder playfully, but her expression was serious. "I was only joking. I don't care how old you are! I love be around you and I...I couldn't stop think about you this morning."

"Really? Because _I _couldn't stop thinking about you. I tried everything! I even ate lunch with _Curtis._" If socializing with other elves was Bernard's least favorite activity, eating lunch with Curtis was like walking into the lion's den.

"Well I'm sorry you had to endure that." She joked. "He's really not so bad is he?"

"No, he's just so...enthusiast. Let's not talked about Curtis anymore..."

"I have a better idea, let's not talk at all." Jessie leaned forward and kissed Bernard. She expected him to pull away, but he didn't. Instead he used his hand to cup her chin. Their second kiss was a vast improvement over the first.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/n: Thank you to Starrat, Shadow97, keacdragon, Flowerchild23, Lady Minuialwen, GracefulWolvesInTheNight for your reviews of Chapter 17! (Shadow97- I'm thinking I don't want to involve the council members because I think it's a sort of north pole only issue.) As always i'm glad to hear that this story is like and well received! Please enjoy Chapter 18, and continue reading, reviewing, favorting and following!**

* * *

"Jessie Calvin, Please report to the head elf's office!" Santa's voiced called through the loudspeakers of the workshop.

"Go ahead," Cecilia encouraged from her seat a few workstations down. "I'll finish that Dollhouse, you can start a new one when you get back."

"I'll get back as soon as I can." Jess promised before climbing the nearest staircase. Two weeks had passed since Jessie and Bernard begun seeing each other in secret. She worried that Santa may have figured it out and wanted to speak privately to the two of them. The teenage girl breathed a sigh of relief when she entered the office to see Charlie, Scott and Bernard all crowded around the phone. Laura's voice was coming from the machine as she talked animatedly to her extended family.

"Hey, Laura, hang on just a second, Jessie's here. Jess, your mother said she and Neil have some big news for us." Scott explained, pulling his daughter toward the phone.

"Hi Jess!" Laura and Neil's voices emitted from the phone.

"Hi Mom, hi Neil." Jess greeted them. "Dad said you have big news?"

"We do!" Her mother promised. "Can everyone hear me?"

"Yes!" Charlie, Jess, Bernard and Scott all assured her.

"Neil and I, are having another baby!" Immediately cheers and cries of celebration could be heard through the room. Laura waited for noise to die down before continuing. "Now I know you were planning on spending the rest of the summer together but Jess, Charlie we could really use your help at home..." Jessie looked up at Bernard. Going home early wouldn't just mean leaving her father, it meant leaving her...Bernard.

"Will the baby be there when we get home? "Charlie asked. He was sitting on top of Bernard's desk swinging his legs and waiting for someone to answer him.

"Say uh, Laura, why don't you give us all a minute to process this? I'll talked it over with the kids. You can call us back around dinner time?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, that would be fine. We'll talk to you later!" Laura and Neil said goodbye and Bernard hung up the phone.

"Dad, where are Mom and Neil going to get another baby from?" Charlie looked up a Santa quizzically.

"Oh look at that, it's lunch time!" Jessie remarked after glancing down at an imaginary watch on her wrist.

"Jessie, wait!" Bernard sprinted out from behind his desk. "I'll join you." Jess and Bernard ditched Santa, leaving him alone to answer Charlie's questions about babies.

* * *

With the sex talk successfully avoided, Bernard and Jessie decided to catch some lunch anyway. With two silver trays of food in hand they found an empty table in the mess hall.

"So, how do you feel about having another little brother or sister?" Bernard questioned his female counterpart.

"Mom and Neil must be happy." Jess answered. "Neil doesn't have any kids of his own and mom _loves_ babies."

"Why do I sense there's a but hidden somewhere in there?" Bernard asked.

"_But_," Jess replied. "What happens to us, when I go home?"

"Jessica, Bernard! Just the people I was looking for!" Curtis had entered to mess hall, the over-sized Christmas Handbook between his grasp.

"What is it now Curtis?" Bernard demanded. He was trying his best not to shout, but the number two elf couldn't have picked a worse time to interrupt him.

"I know." Curtis whispered back.

"You know what, Curtis?" Jessica asked him, sensing Bernard's blood about to boil.

"I know about the two of you." Curtis repeated impatiently. "Don't bother denying it. Two weeks ago, Santa mentioned to me something about leaving a mess in the kitchens. I thought it was suspicious because I hadn't been in the kitchen that night. Then a few days after that, I saw Jessica sneaking into your office..."

"I wasn't sneaking!" Jess tried to argue.

"What is your point Curtis?" Bernard snapped. "If you've known this all along, why have you waited so long to mention something?"

"Because, I've been trying to find a solution to your problem." The younger elf explained, thumping his handbook on the desk.

And what problem would that be?" The head elf asked. "Page one thousand three hundred five, Article nine: _In cases concerning romantic relationships between mythical beings and mortals, one of two guidelines must be adhered to..."_

"Let me see that." Bernard spun the book around and read the passage for himself. The scrawled script of the handbook made it difficult for Jessie to read upside down so she waited for Bernard to explain. He looked up from the handbook panic stricken. If we want to continue seeing each other once you turn eighteen, either I've got to give up being an elf or you have to become one."

"We've got to talk to my Dad." Jess insisted. "C'mon you two!" She scooped up the Christmas handbook and walked out of the mess hall.

* * *

Scott was in his office reading letters from kids when Bernard, Jessie and Curtis burst in.

Hey guys, take it easy." Santa demanded. "What's got you all so flustered?"

"Daddy," Jess threw the Christmas Handbook down on his giant oak desk. "Bernard and I have something to tell you."

"We've been seeing each other Sir, romantically that is." Bernard stepped forward and took Jessie's hand.

"What?" like Curtis, Scott had known this for weeks, but he wasn't letting his daughter off the hook easily. She waited too long to tell him, and he was going to have some fun. "That's disgusting! Jessica, Bernard like...fifty times your age!"

"Actually Santa, he's almost one hundred and_ thirty nine _times her age." Cutis supplied. Jess and Bernard glared over their shoulders at him. He wasn't helping their case one bit.

"Santa," Bernard looked back over at his boss. I know this may come as a surprise to you, but Jessie and I have grown to care for...you're laughing? Why are you laughing?" The elves diplomatic tone changed to a slightly insulted one.

"Because, I'm Santa! I know everything!" Scott chortled. "You two really thought I didn't know? I knew you liked each other since you had Quintin commission that thing for her phone!"

"But if you knew...why didn't you say anything?" Jessie asked.

"I was waiting for you to come to me like you did with all your other boyfriends!" Her father answered. "You used to tell me everything, but now..."

"Dad! I still tell you everything!" His daughter insisted. "You're first person we've told!"

"Second!" Curtis piped up from the back of the room.

"Curtis!" Bernard warned.

"What I don't understand, is what Curtis has to do with this..." Scott knew Bernard wasn't fond of the younger elf, so he didn't understand why he was involved in the conversation.

"Because of this..." Jess flipped through the Christmas handbook to the page Curtis had shown her and Bernard earlier. "Once I turn eighteen, if Bernard and I want to keep seeing each other, he'd have to stop being an elf."

"Or Jessie would have to become one." Bernard added in.

Okay, so what are you going to do?" Scott asked.

"Well I can't become an elf!" Jess snorted.

"What's wrong with being an elf?" Bernard snapped."I'm not renouncing my job to become human!"

"Because humans are so terrible?" Jess growled. "That's why you run a toy factory for _human _children! You know what, Forget I said anything." She slammed the Christmas Handbook closed and forced it into Curtis' hands. "Dad, I want to go home." She stormed out of the office and started packing immediately.


	19. Chapter 19

Scott escorted Jessie and Charlie back to the Miller's house. The two kids spent the rest of their summer helping Neil and Laura clean the house and prepare for the baby. Neil and his wife learned early on not to question Jess about exactly what had happened between her and Bernard. Even Charlie knew not to ask many questions about his favorite elf.

The new school year started in September and Jess put all of her energy into her last year of high school. She was directing the School play, a photographer for the yearbook, and tutoring freshman English. Between helping her mother and her numerous after school activities, Jess didn't had time to go out on dates. She didn't really want to either. There was only one person, one elf, that she'd ever love.

October came and went, and with it Jessie's eighteenth birthday. The rest of the year passed on in much the same way. Scott, Charlie and Jess did deliver the world's presents together on Christmas Eve but when they stopped off in the North Pole, Bernard didn't emerge from his office the entire time. On February 12 Charlie and Jess' half-sister Lucy was born. Charlie turned eleven in May, and Jessie's High School Graduation was scheduled on June sixth.

The Naughty and Nice List office not only housed the famous list, but also a large surveillance system that allowed Santa and his elves to watch the children, and adults, of the world. That's how the list was compose. N&amp;N elves would watch the monitors for any behavior that was particularly naughty or nice. The conductor of said behavior found themselves on the corresponding list. Then it was up to Santa to check the list twice for corrections.

* * *

June sixth wasn't a particularly productive day in the workshop. Many of the workshop elves were still on their vacations. Sure there will still plenty of day to day activities that required Bernard's attention, but lately he'd found himself visiting the N&amp;N department more frequently. He'd taken to tuning a free monitor to a familiar home in the Northern Hemisphere. That morning he watched Jessie eat breakfast with her graduation cap on. Then he watched her carry Lucy in her arms and laugh when the baby played with her graduation tassel.

"You know, most father's would shoot a guy for stalking their daughter." Bernard practically jumped out of his skin when he heard Santa's voice behind him.

"Santa! I-um...It's not what it looks like." The head elf fumbled for an explanation.

"Really?" Scott feigned surprise. "Because Curtis told me you've been up here monopolizing this monitor for two hours."

"Curtis." Bernard hissed his name like a cartoon villain would his nemesis. He turned to give the Keeper of the handbook a piece of his mind, when Santa grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Hold on there, firecracker." Santa insisted. "Curtis was just worried about you. We all are. Why don't you just go t_alk _to her instead of watching her on a TV screen."

"She doesn't want to see me." Bernard promised his boss.

"That's not what it sounded like when she called me." Bernard's opened his mouth to question how she'd called him, but Scott held up his hand. "You're not the only one who can ask Quitin's team for special tech. She called last week to remind me about her graduation tonight. Why don't you come with me?"

"I don't know Santa." Bernard shrugged. "It doesn't seem appropriate for me to show up like this..."

"Well ho-ho-no! Not like that!" The big guy agreed. You'll stick out like a sore thumb!"

* * *

Jessie's High School held their graduation in the gymnasium. All the future graduates sat in folding chairs on the center of the gym. Family and Friends of the students sat in the two rows of bleachers that lined the walls. Charlie, Laura, Neil and Baby Lucy sat two rows from the front and it was easy enough for Scott to find them.

"Dad, who's that?" Charlie asked when he saw his dad being followed by a high schooler.

"It's me, Charlie!" Scott's new friend laughed. "Do I really look unrecognizable?"

"Oh my god, Bernard?" Laura squinted from her seat. The head elf looked completely different in human clothes. He was wearing a starched white shirt and pressed black pants. His whole look was completed with a sneakers and a black bow tie.

"Where are your elf clothes?" Charlie demanded as Santa and Bernard sat next to him.

"He left them at the pole, Sport." Scott explained. "We want him to blend it okay?"

"Okay!" Charlie pretended to zip his mouth, so his dad and Bernard knew the secret was safe with him.

After the ceremony concluded, Jess ran over to her family with a smile on her face. Her white graduation gown flowed behind her like robe as she bounced towards the people she loved most in the word. She hugged a crying Laura and a sleeping Lucy. She then embraced Neil and Charlie before wrapping her arms around her father.

"I'm proud of you Princess." Scott said as her hugged her back. "I brought you a graduation present." He stepped to the side to review Bernard. There wasn't a second of hesitation before Jessie lunged forward and hugged her favorite elf. She rested her chin on his shoulder and held him tight.

"I'm so sorry!" She whispered.

"No I'm sorry." He whispered back. "What I said at the pole was completely out of line. I'd give up anything to be with you."

"And I'd do anything for you." Jess promised. She took her head off his shoulder and held him out at arm's length. "The past ten months without you has been the w_orst_. I had a lot of time to think about it and I decided I want to move to the north pole and I want to become an elf."

"While I appreciate the sentiment Jessie, we'd have to get married for you to become an elf." Bernard explained. "I'm willing to do anything for you Jessica Calvin, but I don't want you to.."

"I do." She interrupted him.

"Huh?" The head elf looked down at the girl that he love.

"I do." Jessie repeated. "That's what you say when you want to get married." Bernard bent down and kiss his future wife on the lips.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/n: Thank you to keacdragon, Starrat, Chaos Infinity-X and Applejax XD for your reviews of Chapter 19! Here's a little pre-wedding fluff chapter! Jess and Bernard's wedding will happen either during Chapter 21 or 22! After I'll probably flash forward to the events of _Santa Clause 2 _complete with the Misses Clause and DeSantafication! Haven't decided if I want Jess to stay at the pole or go home with Scott during the second movie because I've thought of great plots for both. I guess we'll see! Please enjoy the Chapter 20! Thanks again for Reading, Following, Favoriting and Reviewing! **

* * *

Bernard's house, though considered expansive when compared to the other elf homes, was much more intimate than a typical human's house. It had a total of four very small rooms. A bedroom with an attached bathroom, a kitchen, and a sitting room. He always felt like it was a bit much, but now that Jessie would be moving in he wondered if it would be enough for her. If _he_ would be enough for her. Dr. and Mrs Miller's house was pretty big, there was room for everyone there. In contrast Bernard's house yielded no room for privacy. The head elf chewed nervously on his bottom lip as he guided a blindfolded Jessie through the snow.

"If you hate it or it's too small, we can move." He assured his future wife. He didn't know where they'd move. He already owned the largest elf house in the arctic circle, but he loved Jessie and would do anything to make her happy. He'd build her a house if he had to. She was willing to give up her whole life to be with him.

What he didn't know, was that Jessie would have been perfectly happy sleeping on the cot in his office as long as it meant she got to be with him. The girl who wanted a "normal" family finally understood what the word family actually meant. It didn't matter if she lived in a small elf house or on the moon, as long as she was loved by Her parents, Charlie, Lucy, Neil and Bernard. Jess laughed when she felt Bernard grip her waist anxiously. He loved her laugh, it sounded so much like the chimes on Santa's sleigh.

"Bernard, I'm sure your house is wonderful." Jessie whispered. She listened to the bells around his neck jingle as they trudged further into the snow.

"Well if nothing else, it's clean." Bernard promised. They stopped walking and Jess felt the blindfold slip off her face. She opened her eyes to see they were standing in front of a small Christmas red home. The outside was decorated with twinkling icicle lights and a giant wreath on the front door. Curious to see if the inside was as nice as the outside, Jess instinctively reached for the handle but her arm froze midway. "Here," Bernard put Jessie's suitcase down so that he could riffle through his brown satchel. From the bag he pulled out a large gold skeleton key and handed it to his fiancé. "Go on, it's your house too." He encouraged her.

Jess put the key in the door's keyhole and turned it. The tumblers click and the front door opened. Jess stepped into the house's sitting room. It was decorated with red walls and a green carpet. A dark red loveseat was pushed against one wall, the rest of the room was filled with bookshelves.

"This house was a given to me when_ I_ was Keeper of the book." Bernard explained as he stepped by her side.

"Keeper of the..." Jess began to laugh.

"Well I wasn't _always_ head elf." Bernard frowned.

"That's not why I'm laughing!" Jessie gasped. "I'm just picturing you running around with that giant book in your hands chasing the head elf down and telling him everything he was doing wrong!"

"I wasn't...I didn't..." Bernard tried to objected but truth be told that's exactly what he'd been like as Keeper of the Christmas Handbook. He'd do anything to impress Conroy, the head elf of the time.

"You're so serious!" Jess stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him. "The house is wonderful. Least what I've seen so far."

"I, um, I cleaned off a few shelves for you." He pointed out a few empty shelves on a nearby bookcase. "And in the kitchen..." He took Jessie's hand and dragged her into the next room. The kitchen was bright and mostly white with peppermint stripped wallpaper. A large picture window occupied a majority of the west wall. Under the window was a rack of paints in every shade. Bernard had even moved Jessie's easel from her guest room in the workshop to his kitchen. "It's the nicest view in the house."

"Thank you." Jess flung her arms around her future husband.

* * *

June subsided into July as Jess and Bernard made their final wedding plans. Their tiny kitchen table was plastered with seating charts, invitation samples and menus. Jessie was staring out the window watching the elves play in the town square. She was suppose to be choosing a final template for the invitations but none of them carried the same finesse as Bernard's personal calligraphy. She was about to take a last look at the invitation samples when her favorite elf came stomping through the snow and into the house.

"Honey, I'm home!" Bernard bellowed sarcastically. He stomped his feet dramatically to remove snow from his boots.

"What's got you in such a bad mood?" His fiancé questioned. She leaned on the doorway that separated the kitchen from the sitting room.

"Curtis." Bernard hissed. Jess rolled her eyes. She should have known. "What's he done now?"

"He continues to pester me about how we're already behind our quota for this time of year and _our_ wedding may single handedly ruin Christmas for everyone!" Bernard threw himself on the couch with a childish frown.

"Are you sure that's what he's actually upset about?" Jessie chuckled. She sat next to him on the loveseat and leaned her head on his shoulder. If she'd been anyone else, Bernard would have snapped at Jess and demanded a more specific reply. But this was the woman he loved, so instead he just leaned over, kissed her forehead and waited for her to explain. "Well we've told everyone that Charlie's going to be the ring bearer, and Lucy's going to be the flower girl. I asked Mom to be my maid of honor since she has to walk with Lucy anyway, Dad and Neil are both walking me down the aisle but did you notice we're missing a crucial part of the wedding party?"

"Niklaus the Notary already agreed to conduct the ceremony, so I'd say everything's covered." Bernard shrugged.

"What about your Best Man, Bernard?" She reminded. "You were suppose to pick one weeks ago!"

"You think Curtis wants to be in our wedding?" Bernard snorted. "Why would he..."

"Curtis practically worships you!" Jessie looked up and found a blank expression on his face. "You've really never noticed? That's the reason he follows you around. It's why he's always asking you questions! He looks up to you, Bernard. Just talk to him, okay?"

"Fine." Bernard caved. "I'll talk to him about it." He rose to his feet and sighed. "I'd better get back to the workshop. I only came out here to hide from him in the first place."

"Gee thanks." Jess commented.

"Oh you know I love you!" The head elf promised. He bent down and kissed her on the lips. "How are the wedding plans going? Everyone can't wait for you to come back to work."

"_Everyone_ can't wait or _you_ can't wait for me to come back to work?" She teased, playing with the bells that rested on his collar. "C'mon I'll show you what we've got done so far." Tugging on his hand Jess pulled him into the kitchen.

"So yesterday I finalized the menu with Judy, and yes she made sure to include those fruit tarts you wanted." She said. "The colors are red and green, which makes decorating easy too since the pole's mostly covered in that color scheme. All that's left is for you to pick the invitations and talk to Curtis."

"The invitations? No!" Bernard complained. He wasted a whole week staring at the invitation samples before Jessie promised she'd take care of it. So far they'd shared most of the planning but he couldn't...wouldn't take another look at those sheets of stationary. "You said you'd pick one!" He pointed at her accusingly.

"I know, I know!" Jess held her arms up defensively. "And I'm sure the stationary department worked hard on all of these..." She gestured to the small stack of invitation samples. "But I've looked through them at least thirty times and I don't like them half as much as I like the one you made." She dug through the stack to find the sheet she was looking for.

"But I didn't..." He looked down at the paper Jessie handed him.

"I know it's technically just the list of things you gave the stationary department to include on the invitations but I thought maybe on a nicer parchment..."

"Did I ever tell you that my first job was as a Naughty and Nice List elf?" Bernard said looking up from the note he'd written. "They quickly moved me to toy making because they said my handwriting was too ornate. I never thought I'd be using it to impress a girl."

"Consider me impressed." Jess said as they walked towards the front door. "Now please write up an invitation, put it through the toy replicator so we can get them sent out. And talk to Curtis!" She insisted as her fiancé walked back out into the snow.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/n: Thank you too keacdragon and Chaos Infinity-X for your reviews of Chapter 20! I love reviews so much and I am genuinely amazed that this story has fifty reviews! Special thanks to everyone who made that possible! So Chapter 21 is a bit full of fluff, but hey it's a wedding chapter! So Chapter 22 will begin the flash forward to _The Santa Clause_ 2 Which means I'll have to decide if Jessie stays at the pole or not. I'm toying with the idea of her going back and forth, which is probably what I'll end up doing. Thanks again to everyone who enjoys this story! Please continue reading, Favoriting, Following, and reviewing! **

* * *

"Curtis! Report to my office!" Bernard's voice cracked through the loudspeaker of the main workshop building. The number two elf was taking his mid-day cookie break in the kitchen with Abby when the call came for him.

"You'd better go Curtis." Abby suggested. "He sounds really upset."

All the more reason _not_ to go." Curtis shrugged. He reached for another cookie and took a large bite.

"Curtis!" Santa had gone to the kitchen for his own mid-day snack and was surprised to see the Keeper of the Christmas Handbook there. "I think Bernard just called for you..."

"He did, Sir." Abby confirmed.

"Well, you'd better get going." Scott suggested before plucking a cookie off the plate between Abby and Curtis. Santa took a bite out of the cookie before using it to point at the chubby elf. "Rumor has it our head elf has something to ask you."

"Really? What?" Curtis questioned, adjusting his glasses excitedly.

"Well you'll just have to head up to his office and find out!" Scott insisted, a mischievous twinkling present in his eyes. Following Santa's suggestion Curtis hustled out of the kitchen, through the main floor of the workshop and up to Bernard's office. He knocked rapidly on the office door before letting himself in.

"You wanted to see me Bernard?" He questioned his mentor. Curtis noticed Bernard looked more frazzled than usual, scraps of paper covered the desk between them. "What are you doing?"

"Jessie asked me to design the wedding invitations." The head elf replied without looking up. "I wouldn't mind it's just...I want them to look perfect!"

"Is that why you called me up here?" Curtis asked.

"No." Bernard sighed and put his pen down. This was going to be the hardest thing he'd done in at least four hundred years. Overall, Bernard supposed he liked Curtis. Sure they butted head sometimes but like Jessie said, the younger elf meant well. "Curtis, as you know, Jessie and I are getting married at the end of the month. We've got the meals planed out, decorations, I'm working on the invitations...we have everything we need except a best man."

"You want me to find you a best man, sir?" The young elf frowned.

"No, Curtis." Bernard did his best not to sound irritated. "I want you...I'm asking you, if _you_ would like to be my best man."

"Is Jessica making you do this?" Curtis wanted more than anything to be a part of the wedding, but not if Bernard didn't really want him there.

"No!" Bernard said with genuine offense in his voice. "Let's face it Curtis, you're the closest thing I have to a friend."

"We're friends?" Curtis chimed in excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Bernard grumbled in agreement. "So will you do it?"

* * *

Jessie and Bernard were lying together in their bed the morning of their wedding.

"Morning." Jessie yawned before nestling her chin on his neck.

"Good morning future Mrs. Head-Elf." Bernard murmured. "Ready to get married?"

"That requires getting out of bed." Jessie complained.

"You didn't have to leave in the middle of the night to pick up Charlie, Lucky, Dr. Miller and your mother." The Head elf pointed out.

"So let's just go back to sleep." His bride resolved. She wrapped her arm across his chest and closed her eyes.

"As much as I would love that," Bernard gently plucked her arm off of him before sliding out of bed. "We have a wedding to attend."

"Mmmhhh." Jess mumbled. She dragged her groom's pillow from his side of the bed and cuddled it.

"Jess, come on." Bernard complained. "I have to get out of here so you can put on your dress, but I'd like to have breakfast together beforehand."

"Oh fine." She sighed playfully before throwing his pillow at him. "It's always about what _you_ want." Jessie was joking but as she got out of bed she watched Bernard's face falter.

"You're sure this is what you want right?" He asked her seriously. "Because Jessica, once we're married and you become an elf, you're an elf forever, there's no going back from that if we don't work out."

"And how many forevers will it take for you to stop blaming yourself for my choice?" Jess accused. She looped her two arms around his neck. "Bernard, I chose you, and I'll keep choosing you a hundred times over. I love you and I love being at the pole. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life working with you in the workshop and being married to Santa's number one elf. So yes, this is what I want, for as long as you'll have me. And if you wake up someday, and decide you don't want me around...I suppose Curtis will have to do."

"I'm going to assume that part about Curtis was a joke?" Bernard asked. He scooped Jessie's legs out from under her and carried her into the kitchen.

* * *

"Jess, Bernard?" Someone was knocking on the front door an hour later. It was Laura, Charlie and six month old baby Lucy.

"Mom! Charlie! C'mon in." Jess answered the door. "Hiya Lucy!" She scooped her half-sister out of her mother's arms and carried her into the house. "Bernard, say hello to your sister-in-law!" Jess and the baby entered the kitchen where Bernard was drying the breakfast dishes. He set down the plate he was working at to greet his houseguests.

"Hey Lucy!" he cooed to the baby. "Wow she's gotten big!" He added to Mrs. Miller who entered the kitchen with Charlie.

"Happy Wedding, Bernard! Happy Wedding Jess!" The eleven year old boy hugged his sister and his favorite elf.

"Thanks, Sport." Bernard said, ruffling the little boy's hair.

"Charlie, you know that after today Bernard will be your brother right?" Jessie asked him.

"Really?" Charlie's face lit up. "This is the best day ever!" Then he frowned as he remembered something else. "But wait, aren't you going to become an elf?"

"Yes." Bernard answered for her. The last thing he wanted was for Charlie to think he was taking his sister away, even though he was sort of doing just that. "But you know Sport, Jessie'll be able to visit you just like Santa and I can. And you can call her on phone anytime you want."

"Promise?" Charlie turned to his sister.

"I promise." Jess agreed.

* * *

"Hello?" Scott's voice called through the small house just before the ceremony was supposed to begin.

"Shh!" Jessie poked her head out from the bedroom. Most of her figure was hidden in the room, but Santa could still make out the silhouette of her mermaid dress. "Lucy's just waking up from her nap." The bride explained while Scott let himself into the house. He was dressed in his nicest red Santa Clause suit, complete with a newly sewed hat.

"Where's your mother?" He questioned, stepping into the kitchen.

"In here." Jess pointed to the bedroom behind her. "Where's Neil?" She asked, peeking over her father's shoulders. The two men were getting along better these days, but she didn't put it past Scott to try having the wedding without Neil.

"He's outside." Santa said casually.

"You left him outside in the snow! Dad that's a rental suit!"His daughter groaned. She started charging through the kitchen, but her dad caught her by the elbows.

"Now wait just a second!" Scott insisted. "I said he was outside, not that I left him in the snow! He's working with Curtis on something Bernard asked us to do. We've got to stay in here until he knocks three times."

"How very...cryptic." Jess laughed.

"Jessica, your veil." Laura said as she joined her daughter and ex-husband in the kitchen. Laura was wearing a flowing red cocktail dress, with a green sash tied around her waist. In one hand she held out a snow white veil, and in the other little Lucy. Lucy was wearing a Green unitard and a fluffy red tutu. What little curly red hair she had was held back with a silky green headband.

"Let me help you with that." Scott took the veil from Laura and fixed in Jessie's hair.

"Is it time to go yet?" Charlie said, rushing out of the bedroom last. Charlie was wearing a black tuxedo with a red button up dress shirt and a green bow tie.

"Not yet Char." Jess said to her little brother. "We have to wait for Neil's crypt knock."

"How long's that gonna take?" Charlie asked. He jumped off his feet and sat in one of the kitchen chairs. Three distinct knocks could be heard from the front door.

"That's the signal, everyone wait here." Scott ordered. He poked his head out the door to talk to Neil. After a few seconds of whispered conversation, both men stood in the sitting room. Neil was dressed similarly to Charlie with a tuxedo on. Only between his jacket and red shirt, the stepfather wore a loudly printed green sweater. He also swapped his bow tie out for a simple green necktie. "Alright, here's the plan," Scott explained. "Charlie you and your mother are going to walk out with Lucy, then Neil and I will escort Jessie outside. Jessie, you've got to stay in the kitchen until we call for you, otherwise it'll ruin the surprise."

Everyone agreed to follow Santa's plan. Laura carried her youngest daughter outside with a basket of flowers. Charlie went out with them, carrying a pillow with two rings tied to it. At last it was time for Neil, Scott and Jessie to join the procession.

"Ready Princess?" Scott said offering his left elbow out to her.

"More than ever." Jessie promised him. She looped her right arm through his left and Neil swung the front door open. "Wow!" Jess marveled when she finally saw what Bernard's surprise had been. A bright red carpet leading from the front door of their house all the way to the center of town where the ceremony was to be held. The head elf himself stood under the wedding arch, with Curtis on one side of him and Niklaus the notary on the other, waiting for his bride. Neil shut the door to his stepdaughter's new home and joined her on the red carpet.

"Last chance to run." Scott whispered before the party of three began their march.

"Dad..." Jess sighed.

"I'm kidding." Scott laughed. "You know I like Bernard. He's a good catch."

"You're going to make an excellent elf." Neil whispered. "I'm glad Bernard makes you happy."

"Thanks Dad, Neil." Jess smiled. "Let's go."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/n: As always, thank you to Chaos Infinity-X, Samanthatm, Flowerchild23 and Lady Minuialwen for your reviews of Chapter 21! With this next Chapter we start a flash forward to _The Santa Clause 2_! Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, favoring and following!**

* * *

"Jessica!" a very frustrated Bernard shouted his wife's names as he stormed through the main floor of the workshop. The two had been married for five years now, and for the most part they got along like cookies and milk. Bernard had maintained his post as head elf while Jessie had been promoted to chief elf of the paint department. In order to increase productivity, all painting work was moved to a large department under the direct control of the newly turned elf. So far both the paint department and Jessie had been working out great. That wasn't to say that there weren't occasional mishaps. One of those mishaps was clutched between Bernard's hands as he marched towards the department in question. Jess was standing in the middle of the paint center mixing a new batch of Christmas green when she'd heard her husband's disgruntled shouts.

"Jessie, do I need to remind you that our job is to provide _quality_ toys to the children of the world?" Barnard snapped. He didn't like being rude to his wife but this was workshop business. Neither elf held a grudge about things that happened during work hours.

"What is it this time?" Jessie sighed. She looked up at him from a curtain of her wavy brown hair.

"This!" The head elf hissed. He tossed a wooden duck down on the counter in front of her. At first it didn't seem to be so bad. It was the right base colors, the bill was orange and the body was the correct shade of yellow. Upon further inspection, Jess realized someone had neglected to paint eyes on the toy fowl.

"It's just eyes, Bernard." After placing the toy back on the counter, the chief painter grabbed jars of black and white paint and a detailing brush.

"Just eyes?" Bernard repeated, flabbergasted. "Curtis and I already copied fifty of these before we realized something was wrong. I lost forty five minutes of production time!"

"Don't be so dramatic." Jess rolled her eyes. "I'm already halfway done fixing it. Once this guy is dry, Curtis can up the speed on the toy duplicator and make up for the time lost." Her husband didn't argue because he knew she was right. Instead he leaned against the counter and watched her work. Jess always painted with an elbow on the counter, her head rested on that hand. She was right handed, which was uncommon among elves. Though Jess herself wasn't a common elf and she certainly didn't dress like one. That day she was wearing a pair of Bernard's old brown slacks and a reindeer sweater. Still just four feet ten inches tall, she favored sneakers over traditional elf shoes. In fact Jessie would hardly resemble an elf at all if it weren't for the pair of pointy ears that stuck out through her hair. "What are you staring at?" She growled, now finished with her task.

"Your ears." Bernard confessed.

"My..." Jess's left hand shot up towards her ear self-consciously.

"Darling, you have beautiful ears." The head elf promised.

"Sorry to interrupt..." Curtis said entering the paint department. Jessie and Bernard both glared at him, but the number two elf pressed on. "I have an update on Charlie."

"Charlie? Is he still getting into trouble?" Bernard asked.

"It started out as normal teenage rebellion but it's been getting worse." Jess explained. "What's he done now?"

"Something at school." Curtis said. "Dr. Miller, called there's a meeting with his principal. Should I tell Santa?"

"No." Jess said immediately. "No, I'll go down to the meeting with Mom, Neil and Charlie's principal. No one tell Santa."

"Question, how exactly are you going to do that?" Bernard questioned her with crossed arms with crossed arms.

"I'll take a reindeer. Not Comet, obviously, Dad would notice if he went missing. But I'll go down and explain that Dad couldn't come because of his work, so he sent me instead." Jess shrugged.

"There are just a few problems with that. For one thing, no human is going to believe you're twenty three." Bernard waved his hand at his wife's beautiful figure. "You're an elf now. You'll age much slower than you did before. Jessie you look exactly like you did when you were eighteen! Never mind the fact that you're two inches shy of five feet! When we visited with Charlie last he towered over _me!_ I can only imagine the height difference between you two now."

"But I _am_ Charlie's older sister and one of his legal guardians in the school records." Jess reminded him.

"That was only suppose to be for emergencies!" Curtis jumped in.

"Well this _is_ an emergency...kind of." Jess insisted.

" What about your ears?" Bernard questioned. "They stick out of your hair like two pointy little billboards!"

"All I need is a hat." She decided before plucking the green velvet hat off her husband's head. Tugging Barnard's favorite hat onto her own head, Jess tucked the pointed tips of her ears into the brim of her hat. "See! Basically human. I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone." Without another word Jess walked out of the workshop and towards the stables.

"She took my hat." The head elf frowned.

"You're married." Curtis shrugged ."What's yours is hers and what's Hers is hers!"

"Get back to work!" Bernard yelled at his number two elf.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/n: Thank you to Chaos Infinity-X, Flowerchild23, Blue rap, Applejax XD, Lady Minuialwen, brittpage21, Shadow 97 and princessyuki08 for your reviews of Chapter 21! I know that Lucy's suppose to be 7/8ish by the time _Santa Clause 2_ happens but (and my math could be totally wrong on this) In order for that to happen she'd have to have been born right after Scott's second Christmas as Santa. My version of Lucy is born the Spring when Charlie is 10/11ish. And I know I'm fudging the numbers a bit here but my _SC2 _Lucy will be six, because I didn't want my _SC2 _Charlie to be older than sixteen. But I'm sure there must be a way if Charlie and Lucy were 10 1/2 years apart its possible that they could be 16 and 6 at the same. But if I'm wrong, totes feel comfortable leaving it in the reviews, I wont be offended! **

**Glad to see y'all loved Bernard and Curtis' conversation about the hat, it's my favorite part of Chapter 22! And I know a couple of people have been asking about a BernardXJess baby and I'd love to write that in some how, because it's something I'd like to see myself. Maybe some Curtis getting jealous of the baby? I also thought it might be a good excuse for Bernard to retire and Curtis to become head elf in _SC3, _because I can't see Bernard letting Jack get away with that shit on his watch! Anyway, feel free to comment about anything I mentioned above or anything else you want to know/see! Thanks as always for reading, following, favorting and reviewing! **

* * *

"Dasher, try to stay out of sight alright? I won't be long." Jess instructed the reindeer before tying his lead to a tree. The two had landed in the stretch of woods behind her old high school and so the elf began making her way towards the school building. Just before crossing the tree line she made sure her pointed ears were well hidden udder Bernard's cap. Jessie entered the school and told the secretary that she was there for a meeting with the Principal. The secretary, who recognized Jess from her years as a student, gave her a visitor's pass and sent her down the hall. The Principal's office was in the same location it had been five years ago and she found Laura and Neil waiting just outside.

"Jess! I didn't know you were coming, is Scott here?" Laura ambushed her daughter.

"No, I didn't tell Dad about this. You know how he gets when it's this close to Christmas. I barely wanted to tell Barnard, he gets stressed by proxy." Jess sighed.

"Yeah, what's it like being married to Bernard?" Neil asked with intrigue. Jessie was saved from answering as Charlie's principal, Carol Newman, swung open her door. Carol had only been the Principal since last May. Despite being in the position for a short amount of time, she'd already drastically improved the school and wasn't tolerant of anyone who went against her rules. It was barely past Thanksgiving and Charlie Calvin hit his second strike.

"Dr. and Mrs. Miller, we meet again." Principal Newman greeted the parents dryly. "Excuse me a moment, please." She looked past Neil and Laura to glare at Jessie. "Young lady, we don't wear hats in the hallway. What class are you suppose to be in right now?"

"She's not a student!" Laura jumped in. "This is my older daughter, Jessica," She wrapped an arm around her oldest child's shoulders.

"Oh, well I was hoping this meeting could just be us adults and Charlie." Principal Newman explained.

"I'm twenty three." Jessie tried to reply nicely.

"I'm sorry, but is this a joke?" Principal Newman seemed offended. "I wanted to discuss Charlie's problems but maybe things run deeper..."

"I stopped growing when I was twelve." Jess clarified. "And if you look into Charlie's records I am one of his legal guardians."

"Oh very well, all of you please come in." Carol sighed. No wonder Charlie acted the way he did. She could only imagine what his father was like. "Will Mr. Calvin be joining us today?" Laura and Neil both looked at Jess for a cover story.

"He couldn't afford to take time away from his work." The elf remarked vaguely.

"Jess?!" Charlie spotted his sister when she entered the room. It had been months since Jess and Charlie had seen each other. They shared a hug and he was careful not to disturb the familiar hat he guessed was hiding his sister's elfish ears. Bernard had been right, as usual, Jess noted as she took in her sixteen year old brother's five foot nine inch frame. Her baby brother towered almost a whole foot above her.

"Hey Char, getting yourself into a bit of trouble?" Jess accused. Charlie noticed her tone lacked its typical sense of joking or sarcasm. "If you're not careful you're going to end up on Dad's _other_ list." She warned just low enough for him to hear.

"I'm afraid it's much more than a bit of trouble Miss Calvin." Carol said, now standing behind her desk. "Please have a seat, we have a lot of ground to cover..."

No one bothered explaining to Principal Newman that it was technically Mrs. Calvin as she was married but her husband didn't have a last name. The subject was obviously best avoided, so they took their seats around the room as suggested instead.

* * *

"Bernard!" Curtis sprinted into the head elf's office. "I have some bad news..."

"Is it Jessie?" Bernard questioned immediately. He knew he should have never let his wife go out alone. She was still a young elf and didn't realize the number of things that could go wrong outside of the pole.

"No, as far as I know she's still at Charlie's school." Curtis assumed. He hadn't heard anything to the contrary, so there was no sense in worrying his boss over nothing. "I'm talking about this..." From the hall Curtis dragged in the giant magnification machine. A small white business card was attached to one end.

"Curtis, that's the Santa Clause. We already knew about that." Bernard groaned.

"Well, you're half right." Curtis said nervously. "The red border around the card _is_ the Santa Clause. But have you ever looked at the filigree in the center of the card?"

"Curtis, I don't have time for your riddles, just tell me what you found out." The head adult snarled.

"Right." The number two elf flipped up the largest magnifying glass on the machine. "Have you ever heard of the Mrs. Clause?"

"Oh no!" Of all the rules Bernard could have ignored from the Christmas handbook, the Mrs. Clause was possibly one of the worst.

"I'm back!" Jessie announced poking her head into her husband's office. Both men stared back at her with gaping mouths and frightened expressions. "What's going on?" She noticed the grim looks on both Curtis and Bernard's faces.

"We forgot about the Mrs. Clause." Curtis explained as his boss was unable to speak.

"The Mrs. Claus, like Santa's wife?" Jess asked. She sat up on her husband's desk and waited for someone to answer her.

"No, Darling, more like the contract kind of clause." Barnard told her gently.

"Oh, like the Santa Clause when dad put on the suit?"

"Exactly!" Curtis agreed. "Only this one means he has to get married by Christmas."

"Christmas..._this_ Christmas?" Jess looked at over her shoulder at Bernard.

"Apparently your father's been Santa for almost eight Christmases..." The head elf tried to think back.

"There was the first Christmas where Dad and Charlie delivered half of the presents after he put on the suit," Jess recalled. "Then the second was the year E.L.F.S. rescued him..."

"And the third was after your eighteenth birthday , and that big fight you and Bernard had." Curtis remembered.

"Then Jessie and I got married that summer and our five year anniversary was _this July_." Bernard added.

"No wonder we forgot about the Mrs. Clause...it's been a busy eight years." Curtis said.

"Okay, so what happens if Dad doesn't find a wife by Christmas?" Jess questioned.

"He doesn't get to be Santa anymore."

"He won't be Santa anymore." Curtis and Bernard replied together.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/n: Hey look, 24 Chapters by December 24th! ( Technically it was Christmas Eve three hours ago in my time zone but hey, most of y'all wont see this until daylight so it counts!) Since tomorrow (today) is Christmas Eve, I don't know how many Chapters I'll be able to get out to y'all, but hopefully it'll be at least one! For now please enjoy Chapters 23 &amp; 24! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, And any other winter time holidays you partake in! Thank you all for enjoying my story thus far and as always thank you for reading, favorting, following and reviewing! **

* * *

"Good morning Santa's grumpiest elf!" Jessie greeted her husband as she let herself into his office. A tray carrying two warm bowls of chicken soup with all the fixing was clutched between her hands. "The kitchen elves want to know if you're in a bad mood because it takes the Christmas cheer too long to travel through your body."

"Is that a tall joke?" Bernard hissed. He knew he shouldn't be sour with his wife. She'd been subjected to short jokes most of her life much in the same way he'd been taunted for his height. But Christmas was fast approaching and they both still had so much work to do.

"I think it's also an angry boss joke." Jess decided as she placed the tray of food on his desk. "I can totally relate. My boss has been snapping at me all week." She'd said it with a teasing tone but they both knew she'd been feeling mistreated and for good reason. Curtis and Bernard still hadn't told Santa about the Mrs. Clause and rather than dealing with their problem both older elves had been taking their frustrations with each other out on the only other person in on the secret, her. Jess would have gone to Scott herself except she worried doing so may just get the head elf and the Keeper of the handbook in trouble. "Do you think you could take time away from your schedule for lunch?"

Bernard watched as Jess picked up one of the bowls and sat on his desk. He used to like it when she did that. He used to think it was cute that her short legs swung freely while she ate lunch or talked with him. But lately every single one of her little habits had been annoying him. If Bernard thought about it long enough he'd realize that it wasn't Jessie he was annoyed with but rather himself. He'd failed as head elf when he and Curtis neglected the Mrs. Clause and now the pole may lose its best Santa because of a tiny detail. In time Jess may even grow to resent him because if Scott Calvin was no longer Santa, he Charlie and the Millers would forget everything that happened the past eight years. Jess wouldn't be able to see them anymore because it would break the S.O.S., Secret of Santa, guidelines. The head elf had a lot to lose if Santa didn't find a wife by Christmas Eve.

"I'm not hungry Jessica." Bernard growled.

"Aright." Jess nearly slammed her bowl back onto the tray. "I have some painting to finish. I'll see you at home tonight." She stormed out of the office without another word.

* * *

Charlie didn't know exactly what time it was when he snuck onto the roof of the high school with his friend Danielle. They'd been waiting for what felt like hours in the woods watching the teachers leave one by one.

"It is s-so cold up here!" Danielle complained. "Charlie, how are you not freezing?"

"You have not seen cold until you've seen where my dad and sister live." Charlie chuckled. "It's..." His sentence trailed off as he thought about the pole. It was the most magical place on earth and not just because it was Santa's workshop, sure that was part of it, but his Dad lived there. Jess and Bernard were married there. He'd spent every Christmas there since he was eight. It sucked that no one else got to see the one place that felt the most like home to him.

"Don't be embarrassed." Danielle comforted him. "My parents are divorced too. It's no big deal."

"I'm not embarrassed." Charlie insisted taking off his winter coat.

"Then why don't you ever talk about your dad? Or your sister?"

"He doesn't like me too. It's complicated." Charlie sighed. Danielle must have thought he was the biggest loser.

"What is he a spy or something?" The teenage girl laughed.

"No, he...he works with toys." Charlie explained as he climbed into the harness they'd brought with them. "Jess and her husband work with him. They all work with these...little people...kids! Look, can we just do what we came here to do?" He secured a carabiner and a length of rope to a sturdy pipe nearby. The climbing equipment was completely safe and had been inspected by the head elf himself. Though if Bernard knew what his brother-in-law was currently doing with the equipment he would have confiscated the previous year's Christmas present immediately. Opening the window at the top of the gymnasium, Charlie prepared to climb down with a backpack full of spray paint.

"Charlie this is _really_ Dangerous." His friend warned him. "Someone could catch us at any moment. Kind of exciting." She added with a smile.

"Well, you know Danielle, I may not come out of this alive." Charlie said attempting to sound suave. "So in case we don't see each other again..." Guessing what he was hinting at she leaned forward. Charlie leaned forward too, just a bit too far and he fell right through the open roof window.

"Are you okay?" Danielle whispered after he saved himself from falling to his doom. He sent a thumbs up before shaking a green can of spray paint and turning to the task at hand.

Charlie remained harnessed and hovering over the gymnasium with Danielle watching from the window above for almost an hour. The finished masterpiece would read Newman = no Christmas. It had been Danielle's idea to symbolize the "no Christmas" part by painting a giant red line through a decorated Christmas tree. The two teenagers, along with the rest of their friends, had become disgruntled by Principal Newman's ban of anything holiday related. The halls weren't decked with their usual garland and lights and neither tree nor menorah was found anywhere on campus. Teachers were also not permitted to host holiday parties for their students. Naturally the son of Santa Claus felt it was his duty to make a statement against these policies.

The spray painted images may not have been up to Jess' quality of work, but they got their point across well enough. Charlie was just about finished with the red strike-through line when he heard something clang next to him. It was a very tall maintenance ladder. The teenage boy watching in fear as someone climbed up the ladder, a disgruntled expression fixed on their face.

"Hello, Principal Newman." Charlie gulped.

"Hello Charlie." She greeted him with disapproval.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/n: Thank you so much to princeessyuki08, Applejax XD, starrat, keacdragon and flowerchild23 for your reviews of Chapter 24! I don't have much to say about Chapter 25, so I'll just let you get to it! Please enjoy and as always thanks for Reading, reviewing, favoriting and following! **

* * *

"Jess can you take a look at this, I think I did something wrong." One of the painter elves asked her. The team was working on some new drum designs and the diagram was less than ideal. Jess and Bernard were to blame for this error as neither wife nor Husband would agree on a final design. Eventually Jess decided to press forward with her own plans and because of her inexperience with toy making there were more than a few bugs.

"Sure Dottie, I'll take a look." She wiped paint residue off her hands before going over to assess the situation. Jess immediately noticed the problem. Rather than being gold and red as the diagram called for, the drum was painted gold and bright pink.

"I used the number thirty five paint just like the diagram said." Dottie insisted, handing Jess the bottle of paint in question. The head painter took it and inspected its contents.

"It's nothing you did." Jess sighed. "It's my fault, when I was mixing this batch of paint I wasn't paying attention. I'll get you a new one." Running a hand through her hair in frustration she made her way back over to the paint station. After giving Dottie a proper bottle of number thirty five paint, Jess toured the department to ensure no one else's paint was mixed poorly. Back at the paint mixing station she sat with her head in her hands. _What else could go wrong_? She groaned.

"Um, Jess?" Judy questioned the painter elf nervously.

"Yeah?" Jess replied, trying not to snap at the kitchen elf.

"The Naughty and Nice elves asked me to give you this." Judy held out a small rolled up piece of paper.

"Is this from the Naughty and Nice machine?" The semi-automated machine only spat out the names of kids who'd been exceptionally kind or rude. "Let me guess..." The younger elf sighed. "_Charlie Calvin - Naughty List._" She read from the scrap of paper. "Judy, I think it's time for me to talk to Santa about this. Do you think you could bring some hot chocolate to his office?"

"I'll get up there as fast as I can." The kitchen elf promised before scuttling off to the kitchen.

* * *

Jessie let herself into Bernard's office where he'd been hiding all day. If they were going to talk to Scott about Charlie, they might as well tell him about the Mrs. Clause as well.

"Have you been sleeping in your office?" She accused, pointing at the disheveled cot against the wall.

"I've been busy." Was all Bernard managed to get out. He had been busy, but Jessie's attitude lately had made it easier for him to find excuses to work late.

"Whatever. Listen we've got to tell Dad about the Mrs. Clause. Every day that we wait is more time he could be using. Plus this came through the Naughty and Nice machine." Jess handed her husband the rolled up paper.

"Charlie's on the naughty list?" Bernard gasped. He'd watch Charlie grow up since he was eight years old. He'd been such a sweet little kid, it seemed impossible that his Brother-in-law could have done something so bad to end up on the naughty list. Curtis walked into the office whistling his favorite Christmas tune. He stopped when he saw Jessica and Bernard glaring at each other from opposite sides of the desk.

"Oh, you two are obviously in the middle of something. I'll just be going." Curtis said.

"Curtis, you have to tell Santa about the Mrs. Clause right now." Barnard ordered.

"But he's so happy!" Curtis frowned. "And why do _I_ have to be the one to tell him? He's your father-in-law."

"Because, I'm the head elf!" Bernard shrieked. "I don't give bad news."

"Powerhungry." Jessica coughed which caused Curtis to giggle. "Why don't we _all_ tell him?" She suggested. "Where is he now?"

The three elves found Scott rolling in the snow, a pile of elves on top of him. It was apparent that Santa and the elves has just finished a game of tinsel football. The rules were easy enough to understand, as it was just flag football with braids of tinsel.

"Santa!" Bernard called out as the football players dispersed. "We need to talk."

Scott didn't know if it was the serious looks on Bernard, Jessie and Curtis' faces or the fact that his daughter and son-in-law were in sudden agreement, but the father of Christmas could feel in his gut that something was seriously wrong. He allowed Jess and Barnard to escort him up to his office where Judy was already waiting with a tray of warm hot cocoas.

"Oh you guys pre-ordered the cocoa?" He smiled, plucking a pewter mug from Judy's tray. "So what's this all about?" He questioned as he settled behind his desk.

"It's Charlie, Daddy." Jess sighed. Bernard handed Santa the same scrap of paper his wife had presented him earlier.

"Charlie _our_ Charlie? Oh no." Scott groaned. "Listen guys, this has got to be a mistake."

"The Naughty and Nice elves don't make mistakes, sir." Bernard assured him grimly.

"How did this happen?" Scott marveled. "Charlie's never been in any troubled before." Jessie and Bernard exchanged a look.

"Well..."

"What do you mean well?" Santa snapped at his daughter.

"The last three or four months Charlie's been going through a rough patch." Jess explained. "Bernard and I told the other elves not to say anything to you because I thought I could handle it, then Judy brought that slip from the machine this morning."

"I can't believe you two!" Scott remarked. "Charlie is my son and if he gets himself into trouble you can't keep things from me! I'll have to go down there and talk to him. I guess things could be a lot worse, we can get Charlie back on the nice list in seconds. You really had me scared when you said you had to talk to me."

"Great! You told him!" Curtis exclaimed with relief as he shoved the magnification machine into the office. "Now let's get you dressed for that meeting!" He was talking about the Legendary Figures Meeting that was scheduled to begin in a half hour.

"Oh I can't have the meeting here." Scott shook his head. "I really can't I'm going to have to see Charlie."

"Number two tell him now." Bernard demanded.

"Tell me what? Guys come on." Scott looked around the room at three of his most important elves. He really didn't have time to play guessing games.

"Santa, there's a clause..." Curtis began.

"That would be me." Santa acknowledged impatiently.

"No, I mean there's another Santa Clause." Curtis sighed.

"Curtis in case you haven't noticed this time of year the malls are filled with other 'Santa Clauses'." Scott said.

"He means the contract kind of clause." Jessie interjected.

"Exactly." Curtis agreed. "When the last Santa fell of your roof and you put on his coat, you found this." He pulled out the white business card and Scott recognized it immediately.

"Right, _He who wears the coat takes on the responsibilities of Santa Claus._ And the rest would be history right?"

"But it seems our number two elf," Bernard stared down at Curtis bitterly. "overlooked the single most important detail in the history of Christmas!"

"Wow, one mistake in nine hundred years." Curtis mumbled unapologetically.

"Look." Bernard instructed as he swung up the largest magnifier on the machine.

"Okay..." Santa squinted as he tried to read the very small white font. "The card holder acknowledges a woman of his choosing...true love...not valid in the state of Utah...holy MATRIMONY? I've gotta get married!"

"Yes, it's the Mrs. Clause." Bernard gulped.

"Well, what if I don't want to get married?" Scott asked, stepping away from the magnification machine. As he said that, his jolly stomach shrunk before their eyes.

"The de-Santification process has begun!" Curtis shouted.

"De-Santification? Are you telling me that in that clause it says if I don't get married...I don't get to be Santa anymore?" Jessie, Barnard and Curtis didn't say anything, they just looked back at him sadly. Scott was heartbroken. The past eight years as Santa had been the best years of his life. "What-what about the kids? What about the elves? What about you guys?" He looked from his daughter to her husband with concern.

"It's not completely hopeless." Jess tried to cheer him up. "You still have time..."

"How much time do I have?"

"Twenty eight days." Bernard answered him.

"So I have to find a wife by Christmas?" Scott sighed.

"Christmas Eve actually." Curtis corrected. The three elves watch in horror as Santa's beard began to shrink just as his stomach had minutes ago.

"Christmas is getting complicated." Santa complained.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/n: Thank you too Starrat, , Adela and the one guest who reviewed Chapter 25! As always I'm glad to hear that ya'll are still enjoying the story! I sorry it took me longish to update! I've just been thinking of the right way to piece this next Chapter together! I still haven't decided exactly _how_ involved Jess will be with Charlie/Carol but I'm getting close to figuring it out. For now I hope you enjoy Chapter 26! Thanks so much for Reading, Reviewing, Favorting &amp; Following! **

* * *

Scott left for his meeting with the Legendary Council which gave Bernard, Curtis and Jessie the ability to return to their usual work. Immediately Bernard abandoned his wife and friend to return to his office. Curtis said he had some ideas to improve the toy replicator and Jess asked if she could tag along with him.

"You actually want to hang out with me?" Curtis asked as they walked towards the pantograph room.

"Well we never really find time to talk to each other." Jess shrugged. While over exposure to Curtis could make any elf crazy, he wasn't so bad in small doses. She followed him into the pantograph room that was empty of all other elves. Curtis explained that the toy copying elves were on their lunch break and Jess half-listened as he described the various improvements he'd made to the machine over time whenever the room was empty. At some point Curtis looked away from his tinkering to find Jessica watching him with her face resting on her fist.

"I'm sorry, you must think this is boring." He frowned. Jess could tell he was used to people telling him off because of his constant rambling.

"I was trying to listen really I was Curtis, I'm just...distracted." She sighed.

"You and Barnard still aren't getting along?" He questioned carefully.

"Like you haven't noticed." She snorted. "You're around us more than anyone! I just don't understand what his problem is."

"This isn't really my place to say," Curtis told her. Normally Curtis wouldn't interfere with the Head Elf's personal life, but something Bernard had said other day bugged him. The number two elf was just trying to think of a good way to bring it up."But I think Bernard's afraid you're going to hate him."

"He's being rude to me because he doesn't want me to hate...Curtis that doesn't make any sense!" Jess insisted exasperatedly.

"Jessica, think about it, his mood swings started right around the same time I reminded him about the Mrs. Clause." Curtis recollected. "I think he's worried that if we get a new Santa...you won't love him anymore."

"What? Curtis that's ridiculous!" Jess laughed. "Where would you get an idea like that?"

"Like I said, it's not my place to say. You should talk to Bernard about it."

"Talk to Bernard about what?" The disgruntled head elf demanded from the door of the room.

"Nothing!" Curtis insisted. The number two elf turned back to his work. Bernard stared at his wife, waiting for her to answer.

"We'll talk about it later." Jess told him. "What are we going to do about Dad?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. We can't force him to marry someone." Bernard frowned.

"What about Charlie?" Jess suggested. "Maybe I can help with that."

"Santa seemed pretty mad that you tried to deal with Charlie before." Curtis piped up.

"He was only mad because I didn't mention it sooner." The youngest elf explained. "Maybe I can go with him and help this time."

"Jessie, even if you went with Santa you wouldn't be able to stay very long." Bernard sighed. "Elves aren't meant to stray far from the pole. You'll get sick after a few days."

"Then I won't stay for very long." Jess shrugged.

"What about your work here?" Her husband questioned impatiently. "Even if you're father's no longer Santa, you'll still be an elf. You have responsibilities."

"Fortunately, I'm married to the elf who assigns my workload." Jessie teased. "C'mon Bernard you said it yourself I can't stay away for more than a few days at a time. I'll go down with Dad, help him with Charlie, and after a few days I'll be back at work."

"I don't know about this Jessica..." Curtis warned skeptically.

"You two worry too much." Jess waved him off.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Scott asked his three favorite elves as he entered the pantograph room. Santa just left his legendary figures meeting when he'd passed by the room where Jessie, Bernard and Curtis were arguing.

"Jessica wants to go with you to visit Charlie." The number two elf explained.

"Well here's the thing guys," Scott sighed. "I don't know If can even go visit Charlie. I can't be in two places at once!"

"Maybe you can..."Curtis grinned mischievously. Scott looked down his daughter and son-in-law for an explanation. Jessie and Bernard both shrugged, having no idea what the third elf was talking about. "I've tripled the RAM and reconfigured the circuitry paths." Curtis explained as he walked towards the control panel .

"I see you've externalized the power source..." Santa observed. "to make better use of the electromagnetic energy."

"Nah," Curtis shrugged, turning various knobs on the control panel. "It's just because it looks _really_ cool." Jess watch him maneuver around the pantographs controls and she wished she'd paid more attention to what he'd said about them all earlier.

"Wait a minute..." Santa had a sudden realization. "You tripled the RAM? Curtis, I see where this is going and I _am not_ getting in that thing!"

"Right!" Bernard agreed at once. "Besides creating a copy of Santa Claus won't solve our problems, it would be a toy."

"And the elves would know!" Jess snorted.

"But this would be a _very special_ toy!" Curtis promised.

"How's that Curtis?" Scott asked the Keeper of the Christmas Handbook.

"I added a fuzzy logic circuit to the pantograph this morning. The duplicate will look and think just like you. So when you're with your family, dealing with Charlie, and looking for a wife..."

"The toy Santa will be up here melting in front of my fireplace." Santa concluded with feigned enthusiasm.

"No, the toy Santa will be dealing with business up here!" Curtis argued.

"I can deal with business up here!" Bernard insisted.

"You?!" Scott laughed. "You can't even handle your domestic problems! You two thought I didn't notice, you've been fighting nonstop? I may be de-santafying but I'm still you're father-in-law."

"Dad!" Jess hissed. "That's not really relevant to this discussion." Scott would have loved to argue the point with her but he knew there really wasn't anytime. He needed to figure out a plan and Curtis' seemed to be a pretty good one. There'd be plenty of time to argue later.

"Santa, hmm, sir," Bernard coughed. "With all due respect, if the elves ever found out that we made a switch..." The head elf gasped dramatically. "No! No! This machine is not the answer!"

"Is it safe Curtis?" Jessica asked, ignoring her husband's protests and her father's watchful gaze. Cutis was about to explain that he didn't know for sure, but in that exact moment a mouse jumped onto the entrance conveyer belt of the toy replicator. The entrance conveyer belt began to move and the mouse was trapped inside before anyone could stop it. Bernard, Curtis, Jess and Scott all rushed to the exit conveyer belt and waited, with baited breath, for the mouse to reemerge. After a minute or two the mouse finally reappeared followed closely by its lifelike toy counterpart.

"You can't get much better than that!" Cutis grinned. He was speaking about the quality of the toy and not the safety of the machine but the others didn't really need to know that. After debating for beat, Santa began to smile himself.

"I'm going in!"

"Oh I can't watch this!" Bernard whined, covering his eyes with his hand. Curtis took up his position at the control panel and made a few adjustments for Santa's size. Jessie stood by the exit conveyer belt, nervously biting her thumb nail.

"It's perfect!" Curtis shouted as a stiff Santa-esque creature emerged from the pantograph.

"That's because it's me!" Scott laughed.

"Santa, are you alright?"Bernard questioned, taking his hand off his face.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Jessie asked at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah." Scott rushed to assure them before whispering to Curtis, "I felt a shock in there, was I suppose to feel a shock?" He didn't get his answer as Bernard and Curtis began to scream.


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you to , keacdragon and flowerchild 23 for your reviews of Chapter 26! Also thanks to Chaos Infinity-X for the messages you've dropped in my PM box during the last few chapters! **** , the sickness when elves are away from the pole too long will come into play later on. Things are about to get a little chaotic at the pole, (as we know!) but maybe with Curtis' help, Jess and Bernard will be civil to each other again? Fingers crossed! ****Anyway please enjoy Chapter 27 I know it's kind of a set up Chapter, but sometimes they're necessary! Thanks as always for reading, favoring, following and reviewing! **

* * *

Scott turned to see what they were screaming at. All together the four adults shouted:

"It's naked!"

Jess, rolled her eyes at the three men and searched the area for something to cover Toy Santa with. She found a stretch of fabric nearby and draped it over his shoulders. Curtis had to admit he was disappointed the Toy Santa didn't look as life like as the toy mouse had been previously. Instead of white and soft, his beard was greyish and rubbery. Toy Santa's blue eyes didn't glisten the same way that Scott's did and his "skin" had an unnatural sheen to it. All that aside it was still pretty cool.

"It's incredible!" Curtis beamed with pride.

"Can it talk?" Santa questioned before making his final judgment on the matter. Curtis gestured at Toy Santa suggesting Scott give it a try. Shrugging, the real Santa turned to his toy counterpart. "Hello?" At first, just a few drunkish garbles were all Toy Santa could manage. Scott attempted to try again. "Hello?" This time Toy Santa was able to repeat the greeting in an exact copy of the real Santa's voice. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" Scott laughed.

"Ho, ho, ho." Toy Santa repeated, his tone lacked the cheery disposition of the true father of Christmas, but for the elves who didn't know Scott well it would work.

"Not bad." The genuine Santa nodded with approval.

"You're not too bad yourself!" Toy Santa remarked.

"You watch him, we'll be right back." Scott instructed Curtis before dragging his daughter and son-in-law away by their elbows. "Listen you two, I know you have your own issues going on, but I really need your help on this."

"What do you mean?" Bernard asked. His voice squeaked, as it tended to do when he was nervous. If Jess wasn't so mad at him, she'd have giggled lovingly at her husband.

"I mean that I have to go see Charlie." Scott said. "I need the two of you to convince the elves that 'Toy Santa' is me."

"Uh, hmm, Have you seen that thing?" The head elf prodded skeptically.

"I've seen it." His father-in-law assured him.

"Bernard's right Daddy, No one's going to believe that it's really you." Jess agreed.

"they might if my elf-in-law and his wife tell them it is." Scott insisted.

"But I wanted to go with you to..."

"Jessie, I can handle Charlie on my own. He's _my_ son remember?" Santa insisted. "Maybe after a few days you can come down and visit your mom and Neil, but right now I really need you up here helping Curtis and Bernard with this Toy Santa thing. Can you just do that for me please?" Jess wanted to argue with her dad but it was the first thing he'd asked her for since they'd moved to the pole.

"What exactly do we tell the elves?" She sighed against her better judgment. Scott thought for a minute before replying.

"Keep the elves at a distance and say that I've changed my look. It'll work!" To Bernard it sounded more like Santa was trying to convince himself that this half-thought out plan would work.

"I'm not going to lie to the elves." The number one elf insisted. He didn't care what his wife or Santa said. This idea would _never_ work.

* * *

"I hope you know we're in way over our heads with this." Bernard hissed at his wife. Santa had left for the Miller's house thirty minutes ago and it was now time for the head elf, his wife and Curtis to introduce Toy Santa. The three of them stood together at the top of the main staircase waiting for the rest of the elves to gather as they'd been instructed.

"It'll be fine." Jess whispered back. Most of the elves were staring at them from the bottoms of the staircase, wondering what the emergency meeting could be about. "Aside from the three of us, how many of the elves _really_ spend a lot of time with Dad?"

"Well there's Judy, Abby, Quintin, the elves at the stables..." Curtis began to ramble off the list of several elves who came in close contact with Santa on a daily basis.

"Curtis!" Jessica and Bernard snapped at him in frustration. He immediately closed his mouth knowing that this was not the time to further irritate one of the North Pole's biggest power couples.

"Is everyone here?" Jessie asked the number two elf impatiently.

"Just about." Curtis confirmed.

"Alright, let's do this." Bernard heaved a dramatic sigh before addressing the crowd of his underlings. "Hello? Hi! Yes, Uh, Curtis, Jess and I have an announcement to make. Jessie..." He turned the attention over to his wife uncomfortably.

"Right, ah...um...We just want..." Jess wished she'd had a more thought out speech prepared, but then again this whole plan hadn't been very thought out. "We, Bernard, Curtis and I, we just wanted to talk to you about my dad...about Santa's new look. As you're all aware this time of year is very, very stressful." There was a pause in her speech as several elves erupted with either groans or slight laughter. The pause gave the young elf time to stitch together a better excuse. "Santa is a Legendary figure of course, but in his heart, he's also human and, er, when humans get stressed they tend to change their appearance."

"That's right!" Curtis jumped in, coming to her rescue. "Santa has made a few changes to his appearance because he has been really stressed out this year, we're confident he will go back to his usual look after the busy season."

"I myself think he looks absolutely terrific!" Bernard added on awkwardly. "Better and fresher somehow than he has in years! There's a more...supple veneer to his skin and an added luster to the thickness of his hair. You could almost say there's a...a toylike quality to him. Most importantly, he's very happy with his new look and I would caution you all not to point or stare or use the word 'plastic' okay? Thank you, that's all. Back to work please!" With Bernard's final words, the elves returned to their workstations throughout the pole.

"See that wasn't so hard was it?" Curtis smiled as the others dispersed.

"I have to check on my painters." Was all Jessie said.

"And I have paperwork to file." Was all Bernard added. The husband and wife walked off in separated directions obviously still at odds with each other. Curtis' smile transformed into a frown as he was left alone at the top of the stairs. He'd thought for sure Jessica and Bernard would have worked their issues out by now. He'd also assumed it that Santa was trying to force them together by putting them in charge of Toy Santa. "I've got to do something to fix this..." he mumbled before wandering into the kitchen to devise a plan.


	28. Chapter 28

Curtis had a plan to get Jessica and Bernard back together but he'd have to wait till the next day to execute it. The workshop was closing for the night and Toy Santa needed to be supervised. Meanwhile, Jessie had a plan of her own and she had to strike when her husband and his number two were occupied. Quitting time was when Bernard was most active. He'd pace up and down the workshop ensuring tools were stored properly and floors were swept clean. Seizing her opportunity Jess snuck away from her workstation. Thankfully the paint center was relatively close to one of the large staircases. Ensuring Bernard was properly occupied, she crept up the stairs and into the Research and Development Department.

"Ello Jess!" Quitin greeted her cheerfully when she entered. "We're just about to close up for the day. Can I help you with something?"

"Hopefully." Jess replied. "Can you keep a secret?"

"I'm an elf. Secrets are a big part of my life." The research elf pointed out dryly.

"Point taken." Jess nodded with understanding. "Listen, I know you don't own me any favors...but I could really use one."

"What kind of favor are we talking about?" Quintin asked cautiously.

"I need an E.L.F.S. jetpack." She explained.

"Couldn't you just..."

"Yes, I could just ask E.L.F.S. but they'll want to know what I need it for, and I kind of can't tell them." Jess bit her lip. She knew coming to Quintin would mean sharing her plans with him but now she worried he might not actually help her.

"Well why not?"

"I need a jetpack so I can go visit Charlie, but I don't want Bernard to know I'm going until after I've left." Now Quintin understood. The tension between the head elf and his wife hadn't gone unnoticed by the other department heads. "I know this would be putting you in an awkward situation." Jess added. "But I swear all I'm doing is going to see Charlie and my family. I just, I need a break. Only for a few days. Which according to Curtis and Bernard is the longest I'd be able to stay down there anyway..."

"Jess, I'll help you." He interrupted. Although she hadn't been an elf very long, Quintin had always considered Jess one of his good friends."I've got a few spare jetpacks here in the shop." He motioned for her to follow him. She followed, glad that he'd agreed to help. "I've been trying to work on a way to up the thrusting power of the jetpacks. So far we've been unsuccessful, but lucky for you it means there's a free jetpack." He easily located the only fully functional jetpack among two or three that had been torn apart. "Here you go." Quintin handed the jetpack off to Jess with a smile.

"Oh, thank you!" Jess gushed. She cradled the jetpack on one arm and pulled him into a hug with the other. "Oh Q, you're a lifesaver!" She had no idea where the nickname had come from, but now that Jess thought about it, Q seemed like a perfect nickname for the elf in charge of research and development.

"What should I tell Bernard, if he ask me how you left the pole?" The Head researcher questioned. While he was glad to help his friend, he was still rather found of his job.

"Well, I'd say tell him the truth, but if you're worried he freak, just tell him I stole it. I'll argue with him about it when I get home." Jess shrugged. Her leaving the pole was going to turn into an argument anyway, so there was no point dragging Quintin down too.

"He might not even ask me." Quintin shrugged in return, but Jess could tell he was still worried about Bernard's reaction. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He insisted. You'd best get going..."

"Right!" Jess agreed. She quickly laced one of her arms through each of the straps on the jetpack before leaving the department. From the balcony of the main workshop floor Jess could see that most of the elves had already left for the day, though there were still a handful of departments that had yet to pass the Head Elf's inspection. Bernard was currently arguing with the head elf of the doll department and the rest of the elves on the floor were busy either cleaning or watching their argument. Without even a glance over her shoulder, Jess crept out of the workshop. _Mission success. _She whispered to herself as the jetpack's thrusters activated and she began soaring over the Pole.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, you are De-Santafying?" Laura asked her ex-husband as they paraded into the kitchen with Neil and Charlie in tow. The four of them had just come home from their meeting with Principal Newman and Scott explained his situation on the car ride home. "And you only have twenty seven days to find a wife or you're out?"

"Yeah." Scott nodded solemnly before sliding onto one of the Miller's stools at their breakfast bar.

"What are you going to do?" She continued to question him. "We dated for three years before you got up the courage to propose!"

"That's a pretty serious commitment issue, isn't it Scott?" Neil piped up. Old habits certainly died hard between these two. Even after their newfound respect for each other, neither man could resist the temptation to jab at the other whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"Why yes it is, Sigmund." Scott replied sarcastically. The father of Christmas rolled his eyes. Something that he did very rarely at the Pole. "I was afraid I'd mess up the first time. I'm more afraid now."

"Dad you can't give up!" Charlie insisted. He knew he was on thin ice with his parents, but his dad _had_ to stay Santa Claus. "There's never been a better Santa than you!"

"I appreciated that, Sport." Scott told him seriously. "But maybe it's for the best. If I had spent more time with you, maybe you'd spend less time in the spray paint industry."

"Don't do that to yourself, Scott!" Laura pleaded. "You have been a great Dad, and being Santa has made you an even better man. Plus if you'd never become Santa Jess wouldn't have ever have met Bernard."

"Don't remind me." Scott grumbled. Laura and Neil looked back at him with confusion. Charlie on the other hand seemed to know exactly what his dad was talking about.

"Did I forget to mention that Jessie called..." The youngest Calvin mumbled. Normally Neil would make a comment about marital troubles running in the family, but he couldn't bear to make a joke at his step-daughter's expense.

"Mom I'm home!" A young voice called from the front door. "And you'll never guess who I found!" Neil and Laura's now six year old daughter, Lucy, entered the kitchen holding hands with a very familiar painter elf.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: So I haven't updated this story since like...March? Wow I am a terrible human. I hadn't forgotten about this story I promise! I've actually been in Florida working at Disney World on an internship, and its eaten up a fair amount of my free time. but over the last few days I've manager to put something together! (Hopefully you folks will enjoy it, even though it's a bit of filler) I'm working towards getting Bernard and Jess back together (yay) So hopefully I can put another chapter out for y'all sometime soon! As always thank you to BlackArtWhiteVoice, , SummerMistDragon, Applejax XD, That-Stubborn-Biotch, dream lightning, and Rocky Pan for your reviews of Chapter 28! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update and I wish I could guarantee that I will update again soon. Just know that I am trying, and I WILL NOT stop writing until this is finished. You have my word on that! So basically, let me know what you guys think and feel free to write in the review how angry you are that I took so long to update! **

* * *

"Jessica!" Neil greeted his stepdaughter. She was dressed from head to toe in clothes that she had worn before becoming an elf. Instead of an old pair of Bernard's slacks, she had on a normal pair of jeans. Instead of a Christmas sweater or other festive top, she was wearing a lavender t-shirt and ski jacket. Her feet were snug in a very worn out pair of UGG boots and a knit winter hat was pulled firmly over her hair.

"Hey Neil, Mom, Charlie." Jess greeted them all with a half smile and an awkward nod of recognition.

"Oh Scott you didn't tell us that you'd brought Jess along!" Laura gushed. She wrapped both her daughters in a warm hug.

"Well Laura, that's because _I didn't_ bring Jessica along." Scott insisted. He looked down at his daughter with crossed arms. "What are you doing here Jess?" Sneaking away from the Pole had been easy. All she had to do was ask for a jetpack, but facing her dad's disproving look made Jess question if coming here had been the right thing to do.

"I um...I wanted..." She floundered for an explanation. What could she say really? She wanted to help with Charlie? He already had three parents who were more than capable to take care of him. That she couldn't stand being around Bernard at the moment? It was embarrassing to admit to any of them how bad her marriage was currently failing.

"Mom, can Jessie stay in my room while she here?" Lucy asked, her brown eyes flickered between her two parents.

"Well, you see Lucy, you sister has a lot of work to do, _at home, in Canada._" Scott growled the last half of his sentence at Jess.

"Can't she stay for a few days, Uncle Scott?" Lucy begged.

"Yeah, what's the harm Dad, let her stay." Charlie agreed.

* * *

"Jessica Calvin!" A very angry Bernard shouted into the workshop. It was bad enough that she had left work before all her tasks had been completed, but when he had come home to find his wife not there, the head elf was infuriated. _Maybe she went back to work._ He had thought. But here the workshop was dark and empty as it should have been. His anger only mounting, Bernard took to the nearest staircase. He charged up the stairs two at a time, spouting elfish swears as he went. Disrupted by all the sudden noise, Curtis poked his head out from his office.

"Bernard?" The number two elf questioned sleepily, his eyes squinted up at Bernard in the dark.

"Curtis," Bernard exhaled the elf's name in a sigh_._ "Is Jessica in there with you?"

"Where? In _my office_?" Curtis snorted. "I don't think she even knows I have an office."

"Well I can't find her anywhere." The head elf explained. He seemed more concerned than annoyed now.

"I'm sure she's around somewhere." Curtis shrugged. "Try going home for once." He advised before slipping back into his office.

"I did go home!" Bernard announced as he barged into the keeper of the handbook's office. His _old_ office. That really annoyed Curtis. Despite the fact that Bernard had moved up to Head Elf hundreds of years ago, he still treated the Christmas Handbook office as his own.

"What do you mean you already went home? You went home and she wasn't there?" Curtis questioned, still slightly annoyed with his boss.

"Yes Curtis!" Bernard hissed. "That's what I'm trying to tell you!"

"Like I said, she has to be around." Curtis shrugged again. "Where does she usually hang out?"

"Well...umm...She-she used to like to sit in my office before..." Bernard let his sentence trail off, a guilty look showing itself.

"Before you were fighting all the time?" Curtis supplied.

"Yeah." Bernard nodded. He'd been so angry the last few months he hadn't been thinking about what he was afraid to lose in the first place, his wife.

"Sometimes, when Jessica doesn't want to go home, she likes to hang out in the kitchen." Curtis suggested. "She says she likes how busy it is in there, but mostly I think it's because it reminds her of you."

"Why would the kitchen..."

"It's where you had your first kiss." Curtis remembered.

"Curtis, I have to find my wife." Bernard declared.

"Great idea! You check in the kitchen and I'll check in the stables. Those are the only two places that she'd really go now that Santa's gone."

"Wait a minute!" Bernard snapped, suddenly angry again." What did you say?"

"You check the kitchens and I'll..."

"I meant the part about Santa. You don't think that she...She wouldn't!" Without giving Curtis time to respond, the Head Elf disappeared.

* * *

Scott was still standing in Neil and Laura's kitchen. His ex-wife had one arm slung around each of her daughters, she seemed so happy to have everyone all together for once. Lucy was grinning happily at her mother and older sister. Neil was standing near the trio, glad to see his step daughter but also sensing something was amiss between her and the Father of Christmas. Charlie was leaning on the kitchen counter staring back at his dad imploringly. Scott rolled his eyes. Everyone was expecting him to say it was fine for Jess to stay. Luckily Santa was saved the indignation of making that choice when the Miller's front door bell rang.

"I'll get it!" Neil jumped at the chance to avoid another Calvin-Miller blow out. The Psychiatrist really should have been surprised to see his step-son-in-law stand at the front door. Neil had already observed tension between Scott and Jess, he should have known Bernard would be close behind his wife.

"Hello Dr. Miller." Bernard greeted Neil, his tone was curt even for the Head Elf. "Is my wife here?"

"Why yes, as a matter of fact she is..." Neil debated giving Bernard a piece of his mind, but decided against it at the last second. "Come on in Bernard, everyone's in the kitchen."

"Bernard!" Scott growled at the sight of his number one elf. "What are you doing here?"

"Santa, I can assure you that everything at the workshop is fine and I won't be staying very long." Bernard promised. "I just want to speak with Jessie quickly."

"Well then why don't you and Jessica go back to _Canada_? This is why I didn't leave you in charge in the first place!" Scott growled. "I've been gone for what? A few hours? But here you two are!" Bernard looked down at his shoes. He knew Santa was right. The Head Elf had been acting irresponsible for months. He should have said something as soon as Curtis mentioned the Mrs. Clause. To top it off the way he'd been treating Jessica, Bernard knew he deserved much worse than being yelled at by his father-in-law.

"Dad, that's not fair!" Jessica rushed to defend her husband. "Bernard's the glue that holds the whole pole...er..._workshop_ together! He has like a million responsibilities! He was just coming to collect one of his elves. He's doing his job, you can't get mad at him for that!" Bernard peeked over at his wife from the corners of his eyes. Jessica was the last person he'd expected to come to his aid. Charlie sure or maybe even Dr. Miller, but most definitely not her.

"But you _can't _leave!" Lucy whined from her mother's side. "Jessie you said you were coming to stay for a few days! You're my sister, and sisters are suppose to spend time together. We never spend any time together!"

"I know, Luce, I know." Jess looked over at her sister apologetically. "But you know how sometimes you have to go to school even when you don't want to?" Lucy nodded. "Well, right now I have to go back to Canada because Bernard needs me. But I promise once all the work is done, I will come back and we will spend a lot of time together okay?"

"You really promise?" Lucy asked.

"I do." Jess assured her before the two shared a hug. "Mom, Neal, it was great to see you again. Everything will work it's self out. I'll be back soon." She gave her mother a parting hug and kissed Neal on the cheek. She made her way over to Charlie and gave him a stern warning. "Char, straighten yourself out alright? You've got everyone at the workshop up in arms because you're on the naughty list. Curtis, Abby, Judy...the whole gang, it's all they talk about." At last she turned to Scott. "Dad seriously; Bernard, Curtis and I can handle things up North. Just take care of what you came down here for, we'll tackle everything else."

"You'd better." Scott warned as his daughter wrapped her arms around him. Then as sudden as they had arrived, Bernard and Jessica made their way out the front door.

"Thank you, for sticking up for me back there." Bernard thanked his wife as they stepped out of the house.

"I haven't decided if I'm still mad at you or not." Was all Jess said before she located her jetpack and took off.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Look you guys another Chapter! and I have the next one about halfway finished so maybe I can get it out by tonight or tomorrow (fingers crossed!) As always shout outs to Everyone who reviewed Chapter 29! (Dream Lightning, BlackArtWhiteVoice, Rocky Pan, That-Stubborn-Biotch, Flowerchild23, snowflake2410, ApplejaxXD, &amp; samishion.) So I figured that I would throw out there that if anyone is in the Disney College Program *or wants to be!* and would like to talk to me/ask me questions about it, Please feel free to send me a private message! I am always up for talking about the DCP. I really appreciate each and everyone of you who reads, favorites, follows and/or reviews this story! So thank you so much and please enjoy Chapter 30! (I look forward to your reviews.)**

* * *

"Jessica! Bernard! You're back!" Curtis greeted his friends as they stepped into the workshop.

"Hey Curtis." Jess replied shortly before dragging the E.L.F.S. jetpack over to her workstation.

"I thought you were going to fix things!" Curtis eyed the Head Elf with frustration.

"I was. I am!" Bernard assured him. "First I have to check on toy production..." He was about to march off and start his daily rounds when he spotted Toy Santa standing by the elves who made remote control cars. "Curtis, what is that thing doing?"

"Touring the workshop." Curtis shrugged. Toy Santa was holding a large book between his shiny hands, he would pause occasionally on his tour to read from it. Every so often he would also bellow out neutral words of encouragement to no one in particular.

"HO! HO! HO!" He would holler. "YOU'RE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB!"

"Santa," Emile, one the workshops younger elves approached him with an RC monster truck. Bernard watched from afar as the elf interacted with the imitation of the big guy. "Is this what you meant when you said bigger wheels?" Toy Santa looked up from the oversized volume and repeated his earlier sentiments.

"HO! HO! HO! YOU'RE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB!" He exclaimed. Emile seemed satisfied with that answer and he returned to his workspace.

"Santa, you're doing great." Bernard appraised as the toy strolled by. "You could dial it down a little on the 'ho, ho, hos' but otherwise you're gold."

"Why don't you just say it." Curtis egged his boss on as Toy Santa returned to his reading. "You were right Curtis! I was wrong."

"Okay, Okay." Bernard rolled his eyes. Maybe it was time he gave Curtis a little credit for all the work he'd been doing. "I admit it. Are you happy?" A large grin spread across the number two elf's face. Bernard couldn't help but smile as well. Things finally seemed to be looking up. Toy Santa was working perfectly. The real Santa was going to find a wife in time for Christmas. (Hopefully). All that was left to do was repair things with his wife. "You've been working hard, and everything is going to be fine."

"You know this book is very interesting reading!" Toy Santa looked up from his book and interrupted Curtis and Bernard. It was only at this point that the North Pole's number one elf realized Toy Santa had been reading the Christmas Handbook all this time. "There's lots of rules right here at the North Pole that we're not following!" Toy Santa complained.

"That's what I've been saying all along!" Curtis grinned mischievously. "Things have gotten a little too sloppy around here!" Bernard knew that Curtis was teasing him. Sure there were some rules that had fallen through the cracks over the years, but most of them were rules that tended to cause the other elves to revolt. However, being made mostly of plastic, Toy Santa's mind didn't understand things like teasing or sarcasm. Instead the plastic Father of Christmas agreed with Curtis in his bellowing tone.

"Yes! And sloppiness means mistakes! MISTAKES AREN'T A GOOD THING!" Toy Santa shouted in Bernard's face, as if the Head Elf didn't already know that. "I think I might have to make some changes around here!" The toy decided. He slammed the Christmas Handbook closed.

"What did you have in mind boss?" Curtis asked the replacement Santa, with a wink at Bernard.

"Let' me show you!" Toy Santa boomed. "There are many things!" Bernard watched with a gaping mouth as the two disappeared from sight. Normally he'd charge after Curtis and remind him that _nothing_ would change without his or Santa's approval. The real Santa, not his plastic replacement. But right now the Head Elf has something more important to do.

After a rushed lap around the workshop, Bernard had worked up the courage to speak with his wife. She was leaning on the counter of her workspace, a pile of racecars stacked up in front of her. A wooden paintbrush was dangling from her mouth as she struggled to open a jar of silver paint. Several strands of brown hair escaped from under her hat as she twisted the jar. Jess tried to huff the locks from her eyes, which only succeeded in sending her paintbrush tumbling to the floor. A serious of incomprehensible frustrated noises escaped her lips, which reminded Bernard so much of her father, as she bent down to retrieve the paintbrush. While his wife's back was turned the Head Elf strode over to the workstation and plucked up the jar of paint. Jessica returned to an upright position finding both Bernard and an open jar of silver paint beside her.

"Are you...um...very busy?" He gulped.

"Well Mr. Head Elf, there's a pile of racecars here waiting for me to paint racing stripes on them. And let's see when I'm done with that, there's a case of action figures that need faces. And at some point I have to mix all the paint for the paint-by-number kits, then match the paints to said kits, _and_..."

"And it sounds like you have a lot of work to do." Bernard said. He gingerly set down the jar of paint and place it's lid down next to it. Jess layered one of her hands over his as he set the lid down. It was the first time either of them had so much as touched in weeks.

"What I was going to say," She looked up at him. "Is that none of that is as important as talking to you." Jess screwed the lid of the silver paint back on before plucking up her husband's hand once more.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Hey look it's two Chapters in one day! Am I your favorite author or what?! Please continue reading, reviewing, following and favoriting! I appreciate you all so much and I can't what to hear your wonderful reviews! Enjoy Chapter 31!**

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Bernard and Jessica sat at their kitchen table, staring at each other. A fresh pot of hot chocolate sat between them. Jess wrapped her hand around a peppermint striped mug and brought it to her lips. Her husband fidgeted nervously with his shirt sleeves. Both elves were waiting impatiently for the other to speak.

"How did we even get this way?" Bernard sighed at last.

"Well it probably comes down to the fact that you are clearly upset about something, but you are using classic avoidance technics to displace the majority of that anger and aim it at me instead." Jess rambled off. Bernard stared back at her not really sure what to say. His wife wasn't exactly wrong, but he didn't understand what brought her to this conclusion.

"I might have read some of Neil's psychology books back when I was living with him and my mom." She shrugged. "At first I thought you'd come around to telling me whatever it was that was really bothering you. Then after a few weeks nothing changed, so I thought maybe you really _were _mad at me. That's when I started avoiding you. You can be rude and short tempered when you're not mad at someone, let alone if you have legitimate anger towards them." Bernard couldn't deny that he was short tempered. Every elf at the pole knew that, but he never intentionally take out his anger or frustration on Jessica.

"When Mom and Dad got divorced I was, like, ten years old." Jess remembered aloud. "I was old enough to know that they'd been unhappy with each other for a long time, but I just thought that's how parents were. Dad would come home late from work and miss something important and Mom would get mad at him for it, so she would retaliate by not cooking dinner the next night. Which only made Dad more mad so he would do something even worse to her. They went back and forth like that for some time until one day, we were all sitting down to dinner. They started fighting, like actually yelling at each other. The first time that had ever happened as far as I can remember. The next thing I knew they were going to see a psychiatrist for marriage counseling. That's how they met Neil." Jessie's eyes began to well up as she spoke. "And not long after that, Mom and Dad were divorced. It all happened so fast. Mom moved out with Charlie, who was only a year or two old, but I wanted to stay at the house with my dad. I wanted everything to stay the same, it all changed so quickly. We'd gone from a normal family dinner to opposite sides of town in the blink of an eye. I year later Mom was dating Neil and two or three years after that they were married." At this point the tears were rolling down her cheeks. "At ten years old, when most kids were dreaming about becoming fairytale princesses or an astronaut or whatever, I was just wishing for a normal family. And I held on to that until I turned sixteen."

"Isn't that when we..." Bernard reached out and wiped away his wife's tears with his sleeve. It was something that he didn't typically like to do because, as he'd told Jessica many years ago, wiping tears away with your sleeves only makes your eyes redder. But she was his wife and he was doing his best to comfort her.

"Yeah," Jessie nodded. She batted her eyes in an attempt to clear her eyes. "Yeah that's how old I was when we met. It was shaping out to be a pretty crappy Christmas that year. I didn't realize Dad was actually Santa. As far as I knew, he was just keeping up with the story to stay connected with Charlie. He lured me to Mom and Neil's under the pretense that we were going to look at the Christmas lights across town. I only told him I'd go if he agreed not to celebrate Christmas that year." She scoffed sadly. "And then there was this small man, an elf, at least that's what Dad had called you."

"You told me I was too tall to be an elf." Bernard reminisced. He placed one of his hands lovingly on hers.

"To which you countered I was too short to be a human." Jess smiled.

"I remember." Bernard replied. "That was the Christmas that you told me you loved my handwriting. I'd never shown anyone my post-Christmas speech before but I made the exception for you. You smelled like citrus. A scent that's in short supply around here. It's the first thing I smell in the morning and the last thing before I fall asleep. And your laugh, Jessie, your laugh reminds me so much of the bells on Santa's sleigh. Which was my favorite sound until I met you."

"Then what the hell happened?" Jess snapped. She pulled her hand away from her husband and he noticed her voice was raised. "We used to be happy Bernard! You used to love to come home with me at night. You would bring your work home with you, we'd sit on the couch, I'd read a book and you'd do you paperwork and at the end of the night, we'd fall asleep in each other's arms. Now a days, I'm lucky if you even stop by the paint shop. I don't know what to do Bernard." Jessica began to sob. Ugly fat tears were rolling down her face and her eyes turned red and puffy. "I just want you to love me again."

"Oh, Jessie!" Bernard felt tears welling up in his own eyes. He cupped his wife's face in his hands. "Listen to me Jessica Calvin." His said firmly. "I have never ever stopped loving you. I may have been under a lot of pressure, and I may not have been the best husband in the world, but I promise you I never stopped loving you. And I cannot apologize enough for making you feel the way that I did. Jessie for the past few months all I have been worried about is losing you."

"Well you sure have a funny way of showing it." Jessica snorted, but then she thought of something Curtis had said months ago. "Does this have something to do with the Mrs. Clause? If Dad doesn't find a wife by Christmas, he'll just be Scott Calvin again and when he moves back home, I won't be able to see Charlie, or Lucy or anyone from my old life. Are you worried that I'll start to resent you, if I can't see my family anymore?"

"The thought might have crossed my mind." Bernard gulped, his hands slid off his wife's face.

"Bernard you idiot." Jess rolled her eyes. " I'm not going to hate you if my Dad isn't Santa Claus anymore. I might have been young when I married you, but even then I knew that someday Mom, Neil, Charlie, and Dad, they're all going to move on with their lives at some point. But I'll still be here at the pole. And that idea never really scared me because I knew I had you for however many hundreds of years elves live. All I've ever wanted was you, having my dad around was just a bonus."

"I love you, Jessica."

"And I love you. Bernard." Jess leaned forward and Kissed her husband.

"Hang on, hang on," The Head Elf pulled away. "I'm not going to do this unless you say that we're okay. Everything is fine between us?"

"Yes." Jess kissed him again. "Yes, Santa's grumpiest elf, everything is fine. Come on let's go to bed." She tugged her husband up on his feet.

"Bed?" Bernard hesitated. "Jessie the work day's just started!"

"I know!" His wife winked at him.

"Ohhh, bed right." His eyes widened with realization. "It's been awhile since we've, ah, gone to bed together."

"Then quit talking and get in here!" Jess called from the bedroom.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/n: I'm alive again guys! Ok so I wasn't dead or anything just on a break. A very...very long break. But Halloween is officially over and to me, that means its CHRISTMAS! so to celebrate the start of the Christmas season I figured this story was due for an update. I'm sorry that this chapter is mostly filler, but it is one of my favorite scenes in the movie and I knew I had to include it in the story! I'm hoping to get some more chapters out to you guys as soon as possible. (But who knows how long that will actually take! But thank you to all of you for reading this story! please continue reading, Reviewing and enjoying! Oh and Merry Christmas!**

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While Jessica and Bernard talked through their issues, Scott was at the Miller house getting ready for his first date in decades. Since the father of Christmas no longer owned clothing that wasn't part of his red and white suit, he had to borrow an outfit from Neil. If Scott didn't know any better he would swear his ex-wife's new husband had gone out of his way to find the ugliest, loudest sweater in his closet.

"Neil," Scott sighed when he joined the psychiatrist and Laura in the living room. "Are you sure you don't have any other clothes I can borrow? I mean the idea of tonight is to attract a woman."

"What are you talking about?" Neil ask, looking up from his book.

"I look like a limesicle." Scott recoiled. "What do you think, Laura? Honestly, what do you think?"

"I think that it's what's inside that really counts." Laura nodded. Scott sighed, accepting his fate.

"Alright, I've gotta go. Can I borrow a car?" He really hated asking so much from the pair of them, but he would hate giving up being Santa more.

"Well I'm parked behind Neil." Laura pointed out. "Take the minivan. I just had it washed."

"The minivan?" Scott looked between Laura and Neil not sure if they really understood the odds they'd stacked against him. "Well, wish me luck. With a needlepoint sweater and a minivan, sigh, see you in about eight minutes!" He decided before leaving for the restaurant where he was suppose to meet his date. A date chosen by his ex-wife no less.

The restaurant they'd gotten reservations at was pretty nice. The means were served on expensive looking blue dishes with matching blue goblets of wine. All around the dining room couples in fine clothes were enjoying their meals. Scott felt so out of place in his citrus sweat that looked like Lucy had knit it in her sleep. The father of Christmas tugged nervously at his collar while he waited for his date to arrive. She hadn't kept him waiting long as a tall blonde beauty in a red coat sauntered up to his table.

"Scott?" She asked hopefully.

"Tracy? Hi!" He greeted her, getting up on his feet. they exchanged pleasantries and Scott helped Tracy to her seat. He was immediately relived that Laura's friend had actually turned out to be quite attractive. He could only hope he could charm her, despite his traffic light of a sweater. When Scott sat down at his seat, Tracy began to take her coat off.

"I'm so glad we finally got to do this." She smiled at him. "Laura says that we have a lot in common. I hear that you love this time of year also?"

"It's my favorite time of year." Scott nodded. "My busiest time of year." With Tracy's coat off, he got a clear view of the sweater she was wearing. Embroidered across the chest of her sweater was his face! Technically it was Santa's face, and she had no way of knowing Scott was Santa, but it was still slightly off pointing to see your own face stitched onto a sweater. For a brief moment he was glad he had started to de-Santafy.

"Whoah!" He remarked. "Look at the sweater. That is some sweater! Like I should talk!" He joked, throwing Neil's sweater 'under the bus' as it were.

"I also brought my Christmas Charm bracelet!" Tracy offered her hand out to him where a jangling bracelet, stuffed to the brim with Christmas charms, had been latched on. "Lots if Pretty charms!" She beamed. I wear it all year long just to keep the spirit alive."

"That's beautiful." Scott smiled. _Wow if she loves Christmas this much, imagine what she'd be like a the pole!_ He thought to himself.

"So what kind of work do you do?" Tracy questioned.

"I'm in the toy business." He replied vaguely.

"No way!" They shared a laugh. "That sounds so creative. I _love_ creative people!"

"So what do you do?" Scott asked. Things were going well so far. Maybe this dating thing wasn't nearly as hard as he remembered. And hey, maybe if Tracy didn't turn out to be some psycho serial killer she'd make a great Mrs. Claus.

"I'm actually hoping to someday break into the music business." Tracy told him very seriously. "As a singer, songwriter.

"What's your favorite kind of music?" Things with Tracy were going very well so far.

"Country-Western. Do you like Shania Twain?"

"Yeahh." Scott nodded. She was alright. OF course he mostly listed to Carols these days but a little regular music never hurt.

"The best thing about singing at Christmas...Is the coco, caroling and fun! Do you know that one?" Tracy started to sing a song she'd written to the tune of Shania Twain's _Man I Feel Like a Woman._

"Yeah I do know that song." Scott nodded.

"Ah-Whoah-Oh-Oh, Go totally Yule-tide!" Tracy continued her song, raising her voice a little. "Taking a sleigh ride!" Before Scott knew it, she had jumped to her feet and was belting the lyrics to her ripped off music. "SANTA SHIRT! REINDEER SKIRTS! AH-WHOAH-OH-OH!" People around the dining room were beginning to stare and it was starting to make Scott uncomfortable. Tracy of course was oblivious to this. Her impromptu performance was only getting more boisterous and animated as she continued.

"WATCHING THE WINDOWS FOG! DRINKING SOME EGGNOG!" She paused her song only long enough to mime the drinking of eggnog. "AH-WHOAH-Oh-OH! Fill up a stocking! I SPRAY ON SOME FLOCKING!"Tracy continued to dance around their table as she screeched out her song. "PUT UP A TREE! SPORTS ON TV! Ah-Whah-uh-oh!" She wagged her butt in Scott's face, who was still seated at the table trying to reign in his crazy date. But she was having none of that.

"I wanna be free and to feel the way I feel! MAN! I FEEL LIKE SOME CHRISTMAS!" She smiled before breathlessly taking her seat.

"Phrew." Scott breathed in relief when she finally sat down. Tracy's face fell, completely disheartened.

"What? You hated it?" She asked.

"It kind of scared me a little bit." Scott blurted without thinking. They he saw how hurt Tracy looked. "No! It's just...I...ah, I wasn't prepared for a performance!"

"You know what," Tracy began as she started to put on her coat. "I totally put myself out there doing that and that was not an easy thing to do, and if you're not the kind of man that can support a woman's ambition, then I really don't think that there's any reason to continue this date." and with that she gathered her things and left.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Special shout outs to That-Stubborn-Biotch and Flowerchild 23 for already reading and reviewing Chapter 32! I honestly thought I'd get the this chapter out before anyone even got around to Chapter 32! So color me impressed! As always thank you so much, hope you like the next Chapter! (I'm hoping to get another one/two out to you today, if not tomorrow!)**

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Saying that Scott's date that night had turned out cataclysmic was an understatement. So he was _not_ in a good mood the following afternoon when he got a phone call from Charlie's school. Laura and Neil were both at work so Scott decided not to bother them. After all he'd raised Jessie on her own and she turned out just fine. That's why when Principle Newman asked where Neil and Laura were, he told her with confidence that he'd decided to tackle Charlie on his own.

"You've really lost weight." Principle Newman commented as she led Scott and Charlie to an empty corridor. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Well I was until I got this phone call." Scott told he before glaring at Charlie. He worried that his de-Santafication was starting to become noticeable. But he was more concerned with Charlie's misbehavior than anything. If the kid kept this up, maybe he _should_ give up being Santa. The principal led them to a row of lockers that had been defaced with some pretty creative graffiti. Sprayed into the lockers was a caricature of Newman. A large speech bubbles that extended past three or four lockers read _'trim a tree go to jail.'_

"Charlie, you promised you weren't gonna do this again. Now you've broken a promise. What's a matter with you, Charlie?" Scott was at his wits end with this kid. What on earth would make him think he could get away with something like this? There was a fine line between showing your Christmas spirit and just being disrespectful. "I'm gonna have to punish you! I'll ground him for...two months."

"I thought you were on my side!" Charlie complained. Scott opened his mouth to argue but Principal Newman cut them off.

"I'll do you one better . Charlie, you're suspended."

"Hold on now." Scott looked over at the principal. "I'm just as upset as you are, but isn't there a way we can punish him without taking him out of school?"

"What did you have in mind?" Carol Newman shrugged. Scott had to think about that for a minute. It had been a long time since he'd had to come up with a punishment. At the pole Bernard took care of the elves. And Jessica had been a model student in school. She'd practically raised herself after her parents divorced. She always made sure to get at least Bs in every subject, she was involved in every school play, the yearbook, a ton of community service...that's it!

"Community service."Scott suggested to the fearsome woman before him.

"Huh." Principle Newman mulled the idea over. "That's not a bad idea. Ok Charlie. I want you to start by cleaning up these lockers. I want everything, _everything_, off of there by tonight. And then for the rest of the week you can clean up every mark off every locker in this hallway."

"Every one?" Charlie repeated.

"Do as she says, Charlie."

"But I have homework! Tests to study for!" He whined.

"Not my problem." Principal Newman shrugged. "I have a detention program that meets on Saturday so we will all get together at the Sullivan Rec Center and scrape off grafitti at eight am. See you both there. And Charlie, we'll take about the suspension."

* * *

Jessica trudged through the snow behind Curtis and Bernard as they argued about Toy Santa. The imposter-of-Christmas was toting along behind the elves reading form the enormous Christmas Handbook.

"Well I think he's learning at an excellent rate!" Curtis was saying.

"Oh, really? This morning he ate an entire bowl of wax fruit!" Bernard countered.

"Wait a minute!" Toy Santa interrupted. " need to see the naughty and nice list."

"No." Bernard put a stop to that notion very quickly.

"Oh yes, yes!" Toy Santa argued. "It says I'm suppose to check it twice."

"Santa already checked it." Jess interjected. Ever since the first Christmas when the N&amp;N list was mailed to their house, Scott always make sure to check the list often and on time. She now found herself wondering who had thought it was a good idea to give Toy Santa the Christmas Handbook anyhow.

"The _real_ Santa." Bernard sighed. The plastic copy was starting to get on his nerves. He wished that his father in law would come back soon.

"I am the real Santa!" The toy insisted with a hearty laugh.

"I'm sorry?" Bernard snapped. Jess and Curtis could tell their Head-Elf was dangerously close to full meltdown mode.

"I'm in charge here!" Toy Santa bellowed in Bernard's face. "I'm suppose to check the list twice. That's the rule! And I think you're aware of how I feel about that."

"I think you're misunderstanding something." Bernard hissed.

"I'VE GOT A GOOD IDEA!" Curtis yelled, interrupting the argument. "How about we have some fun?"

"Huh?" Toy Santa looked at Curtis with intrigue.

"It's good to have fun!" Curtis explained.

"Right!" Jess agreed. "_Santa_," She rolled her eyes, but managed to resist the urge to use air quotes at least. "Why don't you go play some tinsel Football." She pointed out into the courtyard where a group of elves were just starting a game of Scott Calvin's favorite sport.

"What's the object of this Tinsel Football?" Curtis explained the rules to the toy and it quickly ran off to join the elves. Within seconds almost every elf on the field had been tackled to the ground, most of them sporting minor injuries.

"Great Idea!" Bernard mumbled sarcastically before walking towards the injured elves.

* * *

Jessica, Curtis and Bernard were walking out of the infirmary after ensuring all the elves involved in the Tinsel Football incident had not sustained any serious injuries. Luckily they were all fine. Jess and Curtis were able to convince them all that Santa was acting out due to the stress of the season. The story seemed to be believable enough as the elves has seen this behavior before in other Santas. The trio of lead elves were about to return to their own holiday tasks when they heard a hearty chuckle from the Naughty and Nice room.

"Curtis, what is _it_ doing in the N&amp;N?" The number two elf was used to this sort of angry snarls from Bernard, but her certainly wasn't expecting it from Jess. "What's going on here?" She snapped at the three of them barged into the Naughty and Nice Center.

"Well, I'm checking the Naughty-Nice list." Toy Santa explained. A plastic smile stuck on his eerie face. Actually, I'm checking it twice!"

"WE ALREADY TOLD YOU," Bernard raised his voice, which caused several of the N&amp;N elves to look up from their work. "It's been check." he continued in a more even tone. "Don't worry about it."

"Well I do worry about it!" The imposter disagreed. "There's a lot of mistakes on this list! I'll give you a big fat for instance! In Denmark there's a guy names Sven Hoffstrat who apparently was wiping his nose on his sister's shirt! YUCK! THAT'S NOT VERY NICE! and yet he's on the nice list!"

"We try to cut most of the children a little bit of slack this time of year." Curtis suggested.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT!" The toy hollered in his face. "It looks like kids are misbehaving everywhere! They're running with scissors! They're always sticky! I'M NOT GONNA STOP THIS CAR! NO WE'RE NOT THERE YET! BRUSH YOUR TEETH! PICK UP THOSE CLOTHES! It goes on and on!"

"But they're just kids!" Bernard countered. Sure he'd never had any kids of his own but he liked kids. And sometimes he hundreds of elves under his control sure felt like kids. He often joked that his job was 90% babysitting. "Everybody misbehaves sometimes!"

"BUT ACCORDING TO THE SANTA HANDBOOK," Toy Santa snapped. "Naughty kids get lumps of coal in their stockings. Right? And if they don't have stockings, we will make them stockings. In my little personal opinion I think they should all get coal in their stockings, don't you?"

"NO. That's not how it works!" Jessica tried to stop him. "Santa, _Dad_, don't you think you're over reacting a little bit?"

"No-ho-ho! Not at all, Princess." The Toy Santa told her, his metallic voice full of condescension. "Get me the Naughty-Nice List! Get me every list! Get me everything!"


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Three Chapters in one day, who's your favorite author? I hope it's me! But seriously guys I am on a roll! I'm clearing in a "Santa Clause" mood so I will be trying to get out as many chapters to you as possible. (Hopefully my speed isn't effecting the quality. Though the chapters probably aren't as long as you'd like either. [sorry!]) There will definitely be some more Jess/Bernard fluff coming up and maybe some big news for our favorite elf couple ;) I'm just trying to find a way to work it in to the canon parts of the story! As always thanks to That-Stubborn-Biotch, dream lighting &amp; Obsessive360 for reviewing Chapter 33. I hope you guys like 34, let me know what you think!**

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While things at the pole were going south fast, things between Scott Calvin and the icy Principle Newman were starting to warm up. He and Charlie had arrived early, with coffee, for their community service. Being the only two adults, Scott and Carol found they worked well together as they led the misguided youth who'd been forced into painting over the graffiti. For some reason, he couldn't exactly explain, Scott found himself driving to Carol's house later that night. Mustering the best of his courage; he parked Laura's minivan and bravely trudged up to the front door.

Carol heard a knock at her front door and answered it with a confused expression. Scott couldn't believe his eyes. Gone was the cold hearted principal attire and the tightly pulled back bun of hair. In their place Principal Newman wore a tight fitting black dress and her hair was styled half-down. She almost look approachable.

"Hi...Uh, gee it looks like you're going out somewhere." He managed to get out as she started back at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, I should have called."

"No." Carol insisted. "No it's okay, come in."

"Are sure?" He stepped in to the house cautiously. He wondered where she was getting ready to go. Probably a date. He should probably just leave now while he was ahead but still his heart was saying _stay_.

"Is there a problem?" She asked him with concern once the front door was fastened shut.

"No, no. I just... well I...I wondered if..um...If you wanted to...Do you wanna get some noodles?" He finally managed to stammer out. God he didn't understand why he was so nervous. "Or Pie." He tacked on as an afterthought. "But I don't want to keep you from your date so.."

"Oh it's not a date!" She rushed to explain. "It's the faculty Christmas party. Is that your idea of a night on the town? Noodles and pie?" she giggled, walking away from his so that she could turn off the lights around the house. Scott followed her into the next room.

"Well, yes it is. What would be your idea?"

"Pizza and a movie!" Carol called over her shoulder.

"Ooh think or thin crust?"

"It's gotta be thin." She insisted with a smile.

"Good. Movie?"

"Ah _Two for the Road_. Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney."

"Movie's Ok." Scott shrugged. "But the car was the star. '53 MGTD, British racing dream. Wire wheels."

"I'm impressed. That is a great car. My favorite car."

"Didn't like driving them in the rain though." He pointed out.

"No." She agreed with him. "And you had to push it to start it, but other than that it's perfect." The two shared a smile and then Scott had an idea.

"You know, I could drive you to your party."

"That would be great. Except that eventually I'm going to have to come home."

"Well, ah, I could pick you up." He offered.

"You're going to drive me to a party and then come back and pick me up?" And just like that the ice queen was back. Principal Newman looked at him with those intense piercing eyes. She was glaring at him like he was the stupidest man on the planet.

"Yeah?" He answered uncertainly. Her face soften once more.

"Well why don't you just stay?" She questioned like he should have already suggested that.

"All right." He smiled. "I'll stay!"

"I'll get my coat!"

* * *

The High School's faculty party had turned out to be the least festive celebration Scott had ever been to. Sure there were decorations, and punch and music. But the place lacked the holiday cheer that he was used to seeing. Barely any of the staff were smiling some of them had even fallen asleep. Well Santa couldn't very well leave the party like that, even if it meant using the very last of his limited magic. He did use a very large reserve of it summon up nostalgic gifts for all the faculty and staff in attendance. He'd even managed to get a baby doll for Carol. Specifically the baby doll she had wanted as a child.

"I don't know how you did it. I only told you about Baby Doll an hour ago." Carol marveled as she clung to her baby doll; still in its box. She and Scott were out in the hallway. The rest of the faculty were in a nearby classroom playing with their toys. "It's like some kind of magic."

"Yeah, sort of like some kind of magic." He looked out the window trying to avoid eye contact with her. There was no way she was going to believe him and yet Scott couldn't shake the feeling that it was Carol. She had to be his Mrs. Claus. "And pretty much the last that I have." He sighed.

"What?" Carol didn't understand what he was saying. Then again what normal person would? "What? What about...you know what, I don't want to know. What you did in there..." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "was wonderful. Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Is that okay?"

"Yeah." Scott smiled. Maybe he didn't have to tell her about all the Santa stuff right away. "I've got this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'm not real good at this..." As they leaned in for a kiss, Mistletoe sprouted from a crossbeam in the ceiling.

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know." And with that, they leaned in to share their first proper kiss.

* * *

Scott mulled it over the whole ride home and decided that since he really did like Carol, he needed to tell her the truth. When he thought back to the first Christmas when he put on the Santa suit and Bernard had told him he was Santa, he almost ran straight back to Laura and Neil's. It was crazy and he was crazy for thinking he could get some woman to believe that he was Santa Claus. Even if he really _was_ Santa.

"Carol," he sighed as the pair of them lounged in her living room after the Faculty Christmas Party. "He got to his feet and he became very serious. "There's some things about me you should know. Some..personal things."

"We don't need to rush things, Scott." She told him with a dreamy smile.

"I think you need to know these things." Now Carol was concerned. She righted herself so that she was sitting up straight on the couch.

"Okay?"

"Um...Do you...remember the mistletoe? How it just showed up?"

"Yes." Carol nodded.

"And the sleigh how magical that was?" She nodded again. "Secret Santa Claus? That was me." Carol nodded a third time, waiting for whatever big reveal he was about to lay on her. "I'm not this size much, I'm usually much bigger than this." He confessed

"So am I sometimes." She joked.

"I have a very big white beard. It's beautiful." He continued, trying to ignore her quip. "I work a long way from my home. And when I get back to my home I sleep for long periods of time."

"See, okay, it's not so bad so far." She was still smiling. That was a good sign, right? "You work far away from home and you sleep a lot. Hey, you've never been to prison and you don't wear socks with sandals..." She laughed.

"Well...I'm Santa Claus." He finally announced. "The suit, the red suit's real. The North Pole is a place. There are elves, elves make the toys. My daughter married one of them. And it's all real. It exists. I exist." Carol started shaking her head.

"That's not funny, Scott." She wasn't smiling anymore.

"It's magical." He insisted.

"Okay, cut it out."

"I'm telling you the truth, Carol."

"I told you something very personal from my childhood and now you're making a joke out of it and that's not funny. It hurts."

"I know how hard this is to believe." Scott tried to explain. "But you've got to connect the dots. Think about all of the things that have happened with me..."

"I know what's going on." Carol got to her feet. "You felt something for me and now you're acting like a mental patient because you're scared."

"I'm not scared. I deliver gifts all over the world in a sleigh pulled by reindeer."

"Oh come on!" She started marching towards the door.

"I go down chimneys with burning logs and I still deliver the gifts!" He called after her. "I'm not scared, that's not what this is, Carol."

"You're trying to push me away and it's working." She said as she handed him his coat.

"Carol, Carol don't make me leave, please." In response she opened the door. She wouldn't say a word, she just waited for him to leave.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/n: NEW Chapter yay! It makes me so happy to know this story is being enjoyed! That-Stubborn-Biotch I'm sorry I've made you cry! But I also kind of hope I can do it again! As always guys I will try to get new Chapters out to you as soon as I can. Maybe one more before I got to bed tonight? Who know's I might even get two more! But that's enough from me! Time for the obligatory name drops! Thank you as always to Alyssa. , That-Stubborn-Biotch, snowflake2410, Flowerchild23, Applejax XD, HermioneandMarcus and two guests for your reviews of Chapter 34! Hope you like 35! Please continue reading, reviewing, and enjoying!**

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"It's nice having you home for breakfast." Jess smiled. Her hands were wrapped around a warm morning mug of hot chocolate.

"And it's nice being home." Bernard assured her. He kissed his wife on the forehead and picked up the dirty plate that she was now finished with. The rest of the dirty dishes had already been cleared away and the kitchen sink was full of hot water and dish soap. "Though, if you don't mind me asking why did you insist on having cold pizza for breakfast?"

"Don't know." She shrugged, finishing the last of her hot coco. "Just had a craving for it. Ooh you know what sounds great for dessert? Peanut butter-peppermint cookies. Do we have any of those?" She opened the small fridge to search for the cookies in question.

"That sounds disgusting. Are you feeling alright?" Bernard glanced over at the fridge where his wife was standing with a half-eaten pickle slice dangling from her mouth.

"Yeah, ihm-fine." She mumbled before taking another chomp out of the pickle.

"Really, because I don't think I've ever seen you eat a pickle before." Bernard put down the plate he was washing.

"Really? I wonder why I've never tried them before. They're delicious." Her eyes shined like a kid on Christmas morning as she pulled the full jar of pickles from the fridge. "Do we have an peanut butter?"

"Jessie, maybe you should stay home from work today." The head elf dried his hands on his pants, a rare occurrence, and put a hand to his wife's forehead. "You don't have a fever. Are you dizzy? tired?"

"I'm fine!" She swatted his arm away. "Just a little hungrier than usual. Hakuna Matata." She kissed her husband on the cheek, breath reeking of pickles, before sauntering into the bathroom for a shower.

"I don't know what that means!" He yelled after her, but it was too late; the shower water was already running.

I'm sure she's fine." Curtis sighed as he and Bernard sat talking at his desk. He really didn't understand what Bernard was so concerned about. So Jess was eating some weird stuff that morning? It happens. He ate weird stuff all the time!

"Curtis, I don't think you understand. Jessica, _my _Jessica was eating pickles. This is the same woman who three years ago told me that all pickles smelled like feet."

"They kind of do." Curtis agreed with a wrinkled nose. "Hey maybe she's has been replaced with a Toy Jessica too!" The head elf rolled his eyes. This conversation was going nowhere, obviously. So he decided to change the subject.

"Speaking of Toy Santa..."Bernard was about to ask Curtis exactly how he planned to get rid of Toy Santa when his wife came barging into the office.

"You two better fix this, now!" She was glaring daggers at the pair of them, and angry fire dancing in her eyes.

"Why? What's happened?"Bernard asked jumping to his feet.

"_Santa_ has decided that we are not giving out presents this Christmas. He's stopped all toy production." The fuming Jessica Calvin explained.

"He can't do that!" Bernard and Curtis followed her out of the office. The three of them witnessed Toy Santa standing above the workshop bellowing his new orders.

"The children of the world don't deserve these presents!" He insisted. "They are running rampant with naughtiness! So this Christmas, we're going to give those greedy selfish little kids exactly what they deserve!" Toy Santa reached into a giant maroon bag that someone had placed at his side. From the bag he pulled out a large piece of coal. an uproar arose from the elves. They weren't happy. No one wanted to give the children coal. They loved making toys and the children of the world hadn't done anything to warrant coal!

"What the hell are you going to do?" Jess hissed. Bernard and Curtis were both looking from Toy Santa, to the Elves and back with gaping expressions. "Oh you two are useless!"

"DAD!" She hollered, pushing her way through the crowd of elves. The others let her through in hopes that she might talk some sense into Santa. "Don't you think this is a little extreme?"

"JESSICA, my beautiful little snowflake!" Toy Santa reached out and cupped her chin with his hand. She winced as the cold plastic touched her skin. "The children need to know that it's not nice to be naughty!" Another murmur of fear echoed around the workshop, but Toy Santa just shouted over them. "Quiet! ALL OF YOU QUIET! We have to focus on the goals ahead. And just to make sure that that happens..." Imposter Santa produced an air horn from somewhere and squeezed down on its trigger. No one was prepared for what happened next.

Doors on the first floor of the workshop burst open. It was the doors that led to the Pantograph room. From theses doors close to a hundred tin soldiers began marching out. The problem being these were not the tin soldiers that were typically produced at the North Pole. Someone, most likely the Not-Santa, had enlarged the toy soldiers to stand six feet tall. This meant they could do some pretty serious damage to the child-sized elves. Even Bernard who was the tallest.

"Stay where you are!" The head elf commanded. He couldn't bear it if one of his elves were trampled because of Curtis and Scott's menacing idea. Of course Bernard had said this was a bad idea from the start. But had anyone listened to him? No. No they hadn't. Now here he was left with a crisis and the real Santa was nowhere to be found. "Don't be afraid!"

Curtis was doing his best to help. He worked quickly to push elves out of the way and make sure no one got hurt. Jessica stayed rooted upstairs next to Toy Santa. Part of her was too afraid to move. If something happened to any of the elves, especially Curtis or Bernard, she might be of more help high above the workshop. At the time she also toyed with the idea of pushing the fake Santa right off the balcony. In the end she decided against it because it wouldn't exactly be safe for the elves down below. Plus there was no way of knowing how the now sentient soldiers would react to their leader being offed.

"I was up late last night." Toy Santa explained as he soldiers marched into their positions. "I couldn't sleep. Milk wouldn't do it. Coco was a little sweet so I decided to make an army of Toy Soldiers. HAHA!" Toy Santa chuckled. "They don't have a good sense of humor like me. I would do what they ask you. Which is pretty much what I'm going to tell you!"

"DON"T LISTEN TO HIM!" Bernard hollered from his spot at the center of the workshop. "THIS GUY'S NOT SANTA!" The elves were whispering, shrieking and crying once more. If that wasn't Santa who was he? What had happened to the real Santa? Bernard tried hard to explain over their interjections. "HE'S A TOY! HE HAS A RUBBER FACE!"

"BERNARD! LOOK OUT!" Jess tried to warn him, but it was too late. A pair of gigantic soldiers had appeared at either side of Bernard and they started to cart him away.

"DON'T LET HIM RUIN CHRISTMAS!" Was his final cry before he was dragged out of sight. Fear began to wash over the elves. If an important elf like Bernard could be sweat away so easily what would be their fate if they tried to resist?

"Thank you for those kind words Bernard!" Toy Santa bellowed. His voice was as void of emotion as one would expect from a plastic dictator. "Well now that we all have an understanding, Have a joyous and MERRY CHRISTMAS!" With the flip of a switch the toy production line was filled with large tumbling piles of coal. From conveyor belt to conveyor belt dark black rocks swallowed the colorful toys and holiday cheer.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Happy Chapter 36! It's a short one and I'm sorry about that, but because of the way the scenes are cut in the movie I had to write the chapters this way. I don't know if that makes logical sense to anyone else, but it does to me! Enjoy you guys! **

* * *

As his son-in-law was locked away in a tin man's prison, the real Santa had arrived home from his date with Carol and was about to fight a war of his own. Charlie, who had waited up that night for his dad to come home, started an argument the second Scott walked through the door.

"But how could you pick her?" He complained.

"I didn't pick her!" Scott countered. He had barely taken his coat off when Charlie picked his fight.

"You don't care anymore!"

"Charlie, I care more about you and your sister than anybody else!" Scott hug his coat on a hook by the door and walked into the living room. "But it's a two way street!" He called over his shoulder. Charlie followed after his father and leaned on the doorframe, sulking. "What am I suppose to do if you don't confide in me?"

"Alright you want it?" Charlie snarled. It was the first time in his life he was mad at his dad. He was tired of all the secrets, of all the lies. He was tired of always having to guard how he really felt about his life. "All right, here it is!" Charlie continued, raising his voice.

"Shhh." Scott said putting a finger over his mouth. The last thing he needed was for them to wake up Neil and Laura and have them get involved. "Alright, talk to me." He invited. At the same time he guided Charlie to a chair in the living room.

"Ok, I don't live a normal life." Charlie explained. his voice still louder than a typical speaking tone.

"You live a _great _ life here..."

"No, no, just listen to me! My friends get to go around saying, you know, my dad's a plumber! My dad's a pilot! My dad's a dentist! Well you know what? My dad is the best thing of all and I can't tell_ anyone_ about it!" Tears were filling up in Charlie's eyes as he spoke. It felt so good to get things off his chest after so long that he couldn't have stopped talking even if he wanted to. "And you have no idea how hard that is walking around with that secret for years! I had a sister who I saw almost every day. We were so close, but now I only get to see her once or twice a year! And when I do see Jessie, we can't go out anywhere because then people might find out what she is. And now on top of everything, you're going out with Principal Newman? I mean, and you don't even tell _me_ about it!" Charlie started to cry. "My whole life has become about secrets and I hate it!"

"I'm sorry." Was all Scott could manage at first. He knew it was hard for Charlie to know so many secrets, but he hadn't realized it was _this_ hard for him. He, Jessie and Bernard had always tried their best to be there for Charlie, but as years past'; they hadn't realized the weight their classified lifestyle had carried. Maybe it was for the best that Scott gave up his job. They could always find another Santa. And they would have to, it was almost Christmas eve and he was out of prospects and out of magic.

"Forget about Principal Newman." He decided. "Forget about Santa. I'm done. My time's up." The minute he realized it, Scott thought about Jessica. What would happen to her and Bernard? She'd have to stay at the North Pole with him. She wouldn't be able to visit them anymore. In fact, Lucy, Laura, Neil, Charlie, even Scott would all forget that she ever existed.

"Who cares anymore?" Charlie sniffled before going upstairs to bed.

* * *

Things were quiet at the Miller's house the next morning. Neil and Laura both noticed the tension between Charlie and Scott at breakfast, but neither thought it would be a good idea to mention it. Lucy noticed that there was something wrong too. Only she didn't had the same reservations as he parents. So after breakfast, when Charlie went outside to shovel the yard, his little sister followed him out.

"Hi, Charlie." she greeted him nicely.

"Hi, Lucy." He tried his best to be kind to his sister. It wasn't her fault his life was falling apart.

"What are you doing?" She questioned innocently. Lucy found that people were more likely to talk to you if you were really nice to them first.

"Just shoveling."

"Oh." Lucy nodded. She knew that already. "Charlie, is Uncle Scott Santa Claus?" Charlie looked up at his sister suspiciously.

"No." He told her. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I don't know." Lucy shrugged. "How come Uncle Scott was so sad today?"

"What makes you think he was sad?" Charlie asked, returning to his shoveling.

"I asked him to stick a straw in his nose and blow bubbles in his milk, like he always does, and he said no."

"Whatever." Charlie huffed.

"Can you talk to him?"

"I don't think so, Lucy."

"Did you have a fight?" She frowned.

"Sort of." Again it wasn't Lucy's fault, but Charlie was getting tired of his sister's constant questioning. It almost reminded him of how he used to talk to Jess. Since she was so much older than him, Charlie would ask her questions _all the time_. Remembering Jess only further reminded him that if Dad wasn't Santa anymore, he wouldn't see Jess or Bernard anymore. This only made him more angry about all of Lucy's questions.

"Are you gonna make up?"

"I don't know!" He snapped at his younger sister in frustration.

"Are you gonna be mad forever?"

"_Lucy_, These are _really_ hard questions."

"No they're not." Lucy, who was a lot more like Neil than she even realized, insisted. "They're easy! And you can't be mad at him forever, Charlie! He's your Daddy and you love him!" Leaving her brother with that final thought, Lucy wondered away to play in the snow.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/n: OK guys last Chapter for tonight! Thank you Flowerchild23 for your review of Chapter 36! So I know I just threw a bunch of chapters out at once for you guys (Bit of a sorry not sorry here!) But I want to toss one more thing out there. How do you feel about a baby elf naming contest? You can either comment or PM me your entries. I've already got a favorite name in mind, but i would really love to get you guys involved since if it weren't for you lovely readers I wouldn't have anyone to create for! So like I said if you'd like to participate in the contest you can either PM me your entries or leave them in a review! I'll choose the winner and announce in on Monday the 9th. Thoughts? Thank you to alyssa. for the contest idea! And as always thank you to each and everyone of you for reading, reviewing and enjoying!**

* * *

Things had never felt so cold in the North Pole as they did after Toy Santa's hostile takeover. The elfish morale had reached Great Depression levels of low, while the imposter's mood seemed to soar ever higher. Each individual toy department had been closed and turned into divisions of a coal mining operation. Jess had spent hours trying to think of a way to free Bernard, but so far she hadn't come up with anything. She didn't want to act rashly and get herself locked up right along-side her husband. The only thing working in their favor was that Toy Santa had trusted her to oversee a small portion of the factory. One of the elves working in that small portion was Curtis, but she hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to the number two elf yet. In truth Jessica knew she was in way over her head. There was no way she'd be able to stop Toy Santa alone. While she racked her brain for a solution, Toy Santa was patrolling the workshop roaring demented Christmas carols.

"Dashing through the snow, in a strip mining machine!" He screeched cheerily."C'mon!" His metallic voice cooed at a particularly upset group of elves. "Put a smile on that face little troll!" _Now's my chance._ Jess thought as she snuck over to Curtis' work station.

"We have to do something!" She whispered.

"We have to get Santa back." Curtis agreed.

"But what about the Mrs. Clause?

"It's almost Christmas Eve." He pointed out. "If Santa hasn't found a wife by now..."

"Ok," Jess sighed. "And how do you propose we get to Santa? It's not like the tin general here is going to let us just run off, no questions asked."

"No, but he might let you. You're the only one he hasn't force to mine the coal." Curtis observed. Jessica took a look around the workshop and realized for the first time that he was right. All the other department heads had been forced to work alongside their crews chipping away at monster blocks of coal. "You have to think of an excuse." The number two elf explained hurriedly. "Figure out a way to get up to R&amp;D, and get us a pair of those jetpacks that Quintin's been testing."

"ARN'T YA SUPPOSE TO GET BACK TO WORK?" Toy Santa screamed from the other side of the workshop. "ALL OF YOU! YOU LITTLE IDIOTS! BACK TO WORK!"

"Okay. I'll figure something out." Jess told Curtis in a quiet voice before calling out to Toy Santa. "Say Dad?" The plastic father of Christmas turned to face her. "Curtis here was just reminding me that the Research and Development Department have had some great ideas about the best way to harvest coal. I think the plans are still up there, Do you mind if I have a look?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Jessica!" Toy Santa bellowed with approval. "Bring me these plans!"

"Right away..._Santa._" With lightning speed, Jess raced upstairs to R&amp;D department. _Ok, Jessie you can do this._ She thought to herself. Of course there were not any actual plans to improve the harvesting of coal. Elves hated giving out coal and really didn't care about the best way to secure it. But Toy Santa didn't know that. He was expecting Jess to produce the plans that she had promised and she had to think fast. _Ok think, Jessie think. _A beat passed and she still didn't have any genius ideas. She knew she couldn't stay up there much longer, otherwise Toy Santa would get suspicious. _Bernard I wish you were here_. She huffed. _You'd know exactly what to do. You'd probably come up with something crafty like...I don't know grab a bunch of random plans and somehow convince Toy Santa that they were the coal mining blueprints. _

"Say, that's not a half-bad idea." She smiled, feeling a sense of hope for the first time since Scott had left the Pole. Jess quickly sought out Quintin's workstation, know it would have the most complex and difficult to read plans. She also grabbed the two only functioning jetpacks and headed back to the main workshop. Channeling her inner Bernard, Jess calmly made her way over to the Towering Toy Santa.

"Dad," She breathed."I have the coal mining plans."

"Why thank you Snowflake!" Not-Santa seemed impressed with his not-daughter.

"The plans are a little complicated though." Jess was playing dumb to help formulate an escape. "I Suggest having Quintin, the head of R&amp;D take a look at." She searched out Quintin in the crowd and waved him forward. She would spend years trying to explain what happened next. Somehow Quintin knew that Jessie just needed him to keep Toy Santa distracted long enough for her and Curtis to escape. He practically read her mind with little more than a look shared between them. She silently thanked him a million times in her head before sneaking away with Curtis.

At the Miller's home, a melancholy Scott was playing a game of Go Fish with Lucy, when they heard a crash in the backyard. There was a ding at the doorbell and Lucy jumped up to answer it.

"JESSIE!" Lucy's face lit up when she saw her older sister standing at the front door. "You were gone forever!"

"I know Luce, I'm sorry." Jess apologized as she hugged her youngest sibling. "Say Lucy, is my Dad home? Or Mom?" Lucy didn't answer right away. Her eyes grew wide as she stared from her sister to Curtis.

"Are you an elf?" The little girl asked. The two elves exchanged a worried look. In their haste to escape the Pole, they'd forgotten all about hiding their elfishness. Self-consciously, Jess pulled her hair forward to hide her own ears. Lucy was still staring at Curtis, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Of course not!" Curtis managed to cough out. He wasn't a very good liar. "Why would you ask such a silly question?"

"How come you have pointy ears?"

"It's because I never ate my green vegetables." The number two elf said very seriously. "Do you eat your green vegetables?" Nervously Lucy felt the tops of her ears to make sure they were still round. She then wondered into the house calling for her 'Uncle Scott'.

"Don't scare my sister!" Jess hiss. She gave Curtis a gently whack on the arm before dragging him inside the house.

"Yeah, I'm right here, what's wrong?" Scott asked, coming from the dining room. "Jessica and _Curtis? _What are you doing here?"

"There's a little trouble at the...plant." Curtis explained vaguely.

"Lucy," Scott bend down and looked the little girl in the eyes. "Curtis is a friend of me and Jessie's. He works in Canada with us. So we're gonna talk about business."

"What business?" She was curious.

"Well you see, it's business that's none of your business."

"Soon I'm gonna be seven." Lucy announced. "And then I can know things."

"Come on Lucy," Jess offered a hand out to her sister. "How about I read you a story and tuck you in?"

"Okay." Lucy sighed. She wanted to know more about Curtis and Uncle Scott's business. Maybe Jessie would tell her.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Happy Monday everyone! I'm sorry I wasn't able to update that much this weekend, we had a pretty big sale at the Disney Store I work at and basically things were crazy! I'm so glad that so many of you all participated in my little contest and honestly you guys sent me in some pretty great entries. So firstly let me thank everyone who sent in entries and know that I thought they were all fantastic suggestions! And without further ado, drum roll please, If Jess and Bernard's baby is a girl, her name will be Noel Holly Calvin and if it's a boy his name will be Nicholas Charles Cavlin! Both names are very Christmas-y , and of course the "Charles" could stand for both Charles Dickens and Jess's brother Charlie. So thank you so much to everyone who participated, Congratulations to our winners **_samishion _**and **_alyssa. **!**_

**Well I think that's enough out of me, Thank you to Flowerchild23, HermioneandMarcus, BlackArtWhiteVoice,KawaiiPanda121, samishion,Chrissy and 1 Guest for your reviews of Chapters 36 &amp; 37\. I hope you guys enjoy 38! Please continue reading and reviewing as always! :D**

* * *

"What's up?" Scott demanded from Curtis once Jessie and Lucy disappeared upstairs.

"The Toy Santa's gotten completely out of control!" Curtis burst. "He's locked up the elves, shut down the workshop. He thinks _everybody's_ naughty, AND HE'S GONNA GIVE THE WHOLE WORLD COAL!"

"Well how come Bernard didn't come to tell me this?" Scott asked. He'd been gone for almost a month, surely in that time Jess and her husband had fixed things.

"He's under house arrest!" Curtis explained. He then went on to tell Scott all about the coal mining and how he and Jessica had barely escaped Toy Santa's clutches. "You have to come back with me and save Christmas!"

"I can't!" Scott groaned. "I'm out of magic! I don't have any magic left!"

"You don't have any magic left?" Jess gasped as she joined them downstairs once more. "So that means that you didn't..."

"We don't have time for that right now!" Curtis snapped. "You're still Santa until the end of Christmas this year. That means we need you to get back up to the workshop quickly."

"But how? If I don't have any magic, I can't just pop back up there."

"Don't you have Comet?" Jess remembered. Together the three of them raced out into the backyard where Comet was lazily lounging. To their shock the mythical reindeer was surrounded by candy wrappers. He was laying in the snow looking sickly.

"Comet! Look at me!" Scott scolded. "What are you doing? You're not suppose to eat sugar! It's bad for ya." The reindeer snorted in response. "What do you mean you didn't eat this? Who did?" The reindeer made a bleating noise that caused Scott to scoff. "A squirrel? Yeah well get this, you've gotta fly all of us back to the North Pole, tonight!"

"Dad, that's not going to work." Jess stepped forward. "Look at him, poor thing can barely stand up."

"Have either of you got a better idea?"

"Maybe if I stay here." She suggested. "You and Curtis could take the jetpacks back. I'll stay with Lucy, Mom, Neil, Charlie...spend my last Christmas with them. You two go back home. Save Christmas, come back for me when you can. Or send Bernard once he's sprung."

"That's not a half bad idea." Scott agreed. "Alright Curtis, get the jetpacks."

"Yeah, that's not going to work either." Curtis sighed. "We were kind of in a hurry when we left the North Pole. We could only grab two of Quintin's new test jetpacks. Let's just say their maiden voyage wasn't exactly successful. They're broken."

"What am I suppose to do? grow wings?" Of course Santa couldn't grow wings, but they knew someone who could.

* * *

Somewhere in the house they found a nice long piece of string. They tied one end of the string to Scott's front tooth and the other to the doorknob of Neil's home office. Scott braced himself as his daughter swung the door wide open before slamming it shut. Nothing happened. Scott's tooth was still firmly

+rooted in his mouth. The slamming door however, woke Laura and Neil, who came downstairs to investigate the commotion.

"What's going on down here?" The sleepy psychiatrist asked. Jess, Curtis and Scott quickly explained the situation, and Neil told them he had an idea. Five minutes later, Scott was standing at the top of the stairs with a front tooth tied to a toaster that was gripped in Neil's hands. The others waited nervously at the base of the stairs.

"Are you sure about this?" Laura questioned her husband.

"What? The old toaster trick? When we were kids we used to do this all the time to try and earn extra cash!" Neil told them excitedly. Jess couldn't help but smile. It was nice to see the childish side of her step-dad. Even if it was only for a moment. "Works every time!" Neil tossed the toaster down, and Scott tried his best to hold on to the railing. But he lost his grip and went tumbling down the stairs with the toaster still tied to his tooth.

"Dad!"

"Scott!"

"Santa!" Jess, Laura and Curtis all cried out at the same time. Laura got to him first, checking his head for injuries. Just then, Lucy came running out of her room, grinning. Like her parents, she'd been awoken when the door to Neil's office had been slammed shut.

"Mom! Dad!" She exclaimed. "I lost another tooth! Should I put it under my pillow?"

"Yes!" All the adults said at the same time.

* * *

Thanks to Lucy and her tooth, Laura and Neil were able to return to bed. Jess and Curtis helped Scott devise a plan to catch the Tooth Fairy. It didn't take him long to arrive either. Not many kids lost their teeth in the middle of December. While the Tooth Fairy crept in to exchange Lucy's tooth for some cash, Scott also snuck into the bedroom and grabbed the Legendary Figure by his wings. The tooth Fairy was in good spirits once he realized Scott was actually Santa and that Jessie and Curtis were in fact elves, not children. He readily agreed to transport them back to the North Pole and provide any help that he could.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just go through the Workshop?" Curtis huffed when they finally got back to the North Pole. The two of them had been dropped off on the balcony in Santa's office before saying good-bye to the Tooth Fairy.

"No," Scott argued. "The Toy Santa and his soldiers will be expecting that! Listen, sound military strategy calls for taking the enemy by _surprise!_ It's a good strategy!" He insisted before swinging open his office door.

* * *

"Charlie. wake up."Jessica tried to shake her younger brother awake.

"Mmmmh what?" Charlie groaned. He tried to roll over and ignore his sister, but he had forgotten how persistent he could be. After another insistent shove, Charlie sat up. "What is your problem?"

"What's _my_ problem?" She scoffed. "Since when do you snap at me?"

"I'm sorry." Her brother sighed. "I don't know what's gotten into to me."

"Does it have anything to do with Dad?" She guessed.

"I don't know, maybe." Charlie filled his sister in on everything that had happened since she'd returned to the North Pole. He told her about their dad's idea for community service and how somehow Scott had managed to get himself invited over to Principal Newman's house. Then he had to tell his sister about the fight they'd gotten in.

"I was just so mad." He recalled. "I mean, do you know how embarrassing it is to have your Dad dating your principal?"

"Maybe not as embarrassing as feeling like your son hates you?" Jess suggested, sitting on her brother's bed. "Do you remember when you were a kid, how much you _loved_ that Dad was Santa? You didn't care that he wasn't always around or that he didn't make it back here in time for something because your Dad, _our Dad_, was the best father in the whole world. He tries his best Charlie."

"I know that."

"Then you know he's not going to marry someone without our approval. And if Dad doesn't get married by tonight..."

"He can't be Santa anymore I know." Charlie sighed. "I regretted everything I said as soon as I said it. But how am I suppose to fix things?"

"Get dressed." His sister ordered. "I'll help you."

* * *

Carol Newman was cleaning a fresh powder of snow off her car when Charlie Calvin and his older sister walked up.

"Principal Newman, can we talk to you?" The boy asked.

"Sure." Carol nodded as she continued to brush off her vehicle.

"You keep asking if there's something bothering me." He explained. "Well, there is. I couldn't talk about it before, but I want to talk about it now."

"Ok." Carol sighed. She put her snowbrush down and waited for an explanation. "Go ahead."

"My dad is Santa..."

"Oh Charlie not you too!" The Principal rolled her eyes.

"Hold on, hold on. If you have no feelings for my dad, then fine. But if the only reason for not being with him is that you don't believe in him then you're making a big mistake."

"Oh, Charlie..."

"Carol," Jess was speaking for the first time. "We'd like you to take a look at this." From a satchel slung over her shoulder, she pulled out a snowglobe. It was the same snowglobe Bernard had given to a very young Charlie. The inside of the snow globe showed the same glittering little village as always and it came to life as Jess gave it a shake. She handed the snowglobe over to Carol with a smile.

"Look into it," Charlie instructed. "And try to remember what it was like when you were little and you still believed in Christmas."

In an effort to humor them, Carol took the snowglobe and looked down at it. She thought back to the Christmas when she'd asked for a baby doll but didn't get one. They she looked back on earlier Christmases when she looked forward to seeing all the presents under the tree and watching the lights dance like stars up and down a freshly cut spruce. As Carol thought of childhood Christmases long gone, she watched the glittering village and saw it change right before her very eyes. A shimmer of ice blue fireworks erupted from inside the globe and as they dissipated a new scene unfolded. It was an image of the North Pole, just as bright and vibrant as the Calvin kids remembered the real thing.

"Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing." Charlie said, remembering his first Christmas at the pole. Carol started to laugh. She couldn't understand what she had just witnessed, but she knew that she believed it.

"And where do you fit into all of this, Miss Calvin." The Principal asked. "You said at our first meeting that you were twenty-three and that you work with your father so that would mean..."

"I'm an elf." Jess nodded. "By marriage technically." She tucked her hair behind her pointy ears so that Carol could see them. "Look when Charlie and my Dad first came back saying they'd been to the North Pole, I thought they were crazy. A whole year past until I met Santa's Head Elf. We were friends for years and then when I turned 18 we were married. And when you marry and elf..." Jess flipped her hair forward again to hide her ears, but she'd made her point.

"So where is your father now?"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Charlie smiled.


	39. Chapter 39

**A/n: Thank you HermioneandMarcus &amp; BlackArtWhiteVoice for your reviews of Chapter 38! I'm off to bed now, but I'm definitely going to post some more Chapters tomorrow! Enjoy 39 and as always please continue reading &amp; reviewing!**

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"But if Comet can't fly, and the Jetpacks are broken, How did Dad and Curtis get back?" Charlie asked his sister. He, Jess and Carol were on the way back to the Miller's house, trying to think of a way back to the North Pole.

"I'm not sure Carol's up for it." Jess said, biting her lip.

"What could be more shocking than finding out Santa Claus is real?" Carol laughed.

"Finding out the Tooth Fairy is real."

As it turned out Charlie, like Neil, had learned a few tricks for pulling your own teeth out. He shared some of his methods and graciously offered his own set of pearly whites to help them get back to the Pole. Originally they'd planned to nab the Tooth Fairy while he was pretending to nap, but the fairy arrived soon after learning of another uprooted tooth at the Miller house.

"Santa's elf!" He exclaimed when he spotted Jess standing with Charlie and Carol. "Does Santa need more help from me?"

"Kind of." Jess nodded. "We _have _to get Carol up to the North Pole."

"You must be the Mrs.," Tooth Fairy nodded. "Okay. Yeah I can do it. We've got to get you up there before Christmas Eve ends." Carol was stunned. Her mouth hung open and she was trying he best not to freak out; to remain calm with the whole situation.

"I always thought you were a woman..." She remarked breathlessly.

"That's what everyone thinks." The Tooth Fairy hung his head. "I've been trying to get a name change for years. Matter of fact Santa suggested 'The Molarnator' at the last meeting. But I guess Tooth Fairy is easier for the kids." He shrugged. "Okay, who's ready for a ride?"

"Say," Charlie interrupted. "Do you think you could bring me along too? I'd like to make things up to my dad." The Tooth Fairy looked Charlie up and down.

"I can't carry all three of you at the same time." Tooth Fairy decided. "I could maybe make two trips, but definitely not three."

"Then I'll stay behind, again." Jessica volunteered. "Charlie and Carol are really needed at the Pole right now. Just someone promise me that once they get up there, You'll send my husband to collect me."

* * *

When Scott and Curtis had opened the doors to the workshop, three tin soldiers were there waiting for them. The soldiers captured the pair and brought them before Toy Santa. Curtis sat tied to his boss by a giant red bow. He looked around the workshop and realized things had only gotten worse in the few hours that he and Jessica were gone. Now _all_ of the elves were locked up in the Pantograph room. Their panicked cries barely audible through the glass doors.

"SCOTT CALVIN isn't it?" Toy Santa yelled in the real Santa's face. Toy Santa was dressed in some sort of military jacket, colorfully decorated too. Santa's famous fur lined coat was gripped tightly between the toy's plastic fingers.

"Yeah." Scott replied. "And what are you suppose to be?"

"A better, stronger version of what you used to be!" The toy tyrant chuckled. "With a flawless complexion, I might add."

"Listen to me! I'm back now. So untie us, let the elves go and give me back the coat."

"Hmmmm...NO CAN DO! It's Christmas Eve! I have coal to deliver! And I don't want those naughty kids to suffer!" Laughing, Toy Santa marched away followed by a pack of his tin soldiers.

"This is all my fault." Curtis sighed now that they were alone. "I thought I could create another Santa. My elfin pride blinded me to all reason. There's only one Santa." He said, looking over his shoulder at the big guy.

"Well, I've done a pretty rotten job." Scott sighed himself. "I didn't check the list twice. My son thinks I betrayed him. My Son-in-law's trapped twenty feet away from me. My daughter's stranded in Illinois. I've hurt the woman I love. I ruined Christmas."

Both men sighed again as flakes of snow started to drift down from the ceiling. Wait a second, snow? Curtis and Scott looked up to see Charlie rappelling down to them. Relief washed over them as their rescuer's feet were planted safely on the ground. All three of them were very glad for Bernard's old gift of climbing equipment.

"Charlie!" His father smiled. "How did you get here?" Without a word Charlie flashed his dad a winning smile. The boy's front molar was missing. He got right to work, untying the father of Christmas and his elf. At the same time the Tooth Fairy landed with Carol in his arms.

"Scott!" She called to him. He turned around, and she flung herself at him. "I got to fly in with the toothfairy!" She remarked excitedly.

"Yeah." He grinned. "Are you okay?" She nodded.

"She, has a beautiful smile." The tooth fairy interrupted. "And if anybody cares, I'm exhausted."

"Thank you for everything, my friend." Santa said, shaking the Tooth Fairy's hand.

"No, thank you!" The Tooth Fairy insisted. "I am, the Molarnator!" With a quick flutter of his wings the Tooth Fairy slash "Molarnator" flew away through the roof window Charlie had rappelled from.

"We have to get this open!" Curtis pointed at the door to the Pentograph room.

"There's a spare key in my office." Scott remembered. "Charlie why don't you..."

"I'm on it, Dad!" The boy assured him. With Charlie's long teenager legs, he was able to quickly bound up the stairs and snag the spare key ring from his Dad's office. "Here I've got it." He tossed the keys from the top of the stairs and Curtis caught them with ease. After only a few seconds more the North Pole's elf population was free. Bernard was leading the charge with many of the tops elves as they rushed out of Pantograph room, expecting a fight.

"Santa!" The head elf breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted his father-in-law amongst the crowd. "You're back!"

"Of course I'm back!" Scott laughed. "You won't be getting rid of me that easily."

"Of course." Bernard nodded. "That's not...that's not what I meant at all. You were gone for so long and I feared...Well I thought...we were worried."

"Carol, meet Bernard." Scott introduced. "Bernard's my head elf, my right hand man."

"Head elf?" Carol repeated. "You're Jessica's husband?"

"You've met my wife already?" Bernard smiled. "Is she here in the crowd somewhere?" He stood on the tips of his toes trying to see above the shuffle of elves. On the far side of the workshop, Curtis was trying to organize the others so that they could take out Toy Santa. He suspected Jess would be among them helping Curtis to arrange everything, but after quickly scanning the room Bernard didn't see his wife anywhere.

"We left her at home." Charlie confessed. "Tooth Fairy couldn't take us all. And she volunteered to stay behind. You know how she hates flying." Bernard nodded before looking up at his father-in-law.

"Santa..."

"Go get her, Champ." Scott nodded.

"We'll be back before anyone notices I was gone." The Head Elf promised before disappearing.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/n: Christmas is Saved guys! (Well kind of anyway.) To the most recent guest who asked for Chet, I added him just for you! :) To everyone else, Let me just say wow! I can't believe this story is already at 40 Chapters! It doesn't seem like it's been that long to me, though for you guys it probably seems like some updates take yeeeeaaarrs. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart, not just for your reviews, but for genuinely enjoying this story and for sticking through all of this will me, whether I update five times a day, once month or not at all. I seriously mean it when I say thank you all so very much! An author is nothing without readers! :D Please enjoy Chapter 40, New updates coming ASAP!**

**ps, shout out to Chapter 38's reviewers: BlackArtWhiteVoice, dream lightning, Flowerchild23, HermioneandMarcus, Applejax XD &amp; 1 Guest. Thanks again everyone! **

* * *

It had been quite some time since Bernard had randomly appeared inside the Miller's house. Since Lucy had been born, Bernard and the Calvins had been under a strict no magic in the house policy. It was difficult at first, not being able to pop here or there whenever they wanted. As time went on Scott, Jess and Bernard made less and less visits. In the end Lucy grew up not knowing about her sister being an elf or Scott being Santa Claus. That night Bernard decided to ignore the rules and materialized in the entrance hall. He heard the sounds of laughter coming from deeper in the house and followed the joyous noise to the living room. Jess was sitting cross-legged on the floor and Lucy was kneeling across from her; a game board between them. Neither girl heard the Head Elf approaching them.

"Hello Lucy," He greeted the young girl. "Jessie." Jess looked up to see her husband standing there and she smiled.

"Bout time you got here." She brushed off her pants and got to her feet. Lucy looked over her shoulder to see who her sister was talking to.

"Bernard!" The young girl jumped up and he caught her in his arms. "You want to play with us? We can start a new game." Bernard looked over at Jessie and set his sister-in-law down on the floor.

"Luce, I think Bernard and I have some work to do." Lucy didn't like that. She crossed her arms and frowned.

"You said you'd stay for Christmas."

"Christmas isn't over yet." The Head Elf pointed out. He knelt down and looked the girl in the eyes like he used to do with Charlie. "Lucy, I promise you that you'll get to spend this Christmas with your sister. But for now, I could really use her help. Do you think I could borrow her for a few hours?" Lucy's arms were still folded over her chest. She glared form Bernard to her sister, thinking about something.

"Bernard, are you an elf?" Bernard's eyes widened. "You have pointy ears like Mr. Curtis did. and you work with Uncle Scott and I'm pretty sure he's Santa Claus. Charlie says no, but he's mad at Uncle Scott so I don't believe him. Does that mean you're an elf too, Jessie?" Jess and Bernard didn't answer her, which to a little girl that was as good as a 'yes'.

"We'll talk about this later, Lucy." Jessica said. She led her husband out of the room without another word.

"She's going to have to find out everything eventually." Bernard explained as they walked down the hall towards Neil's office. "Charlie was just about her age..."

"I know, I know." Jess nodded. "But that was different. He was caught in the middle of things. Most kids grow up to believe there is no Santa Claus. It's a different burden growing up to realize there _is_ a Santa. Look at what's happened with Charlie." By now they had reached Neil's office which they entered after knocking. Jess quickly explained that she and Bernard were returning to the Pole, but that she'd be back before the end of Christmas Day.

* * *

The Pole was in a sort of organized chaos upon Jess and Bernard's return. The Tin Soldiers had mostly been incapacitated, but Toy Santa had made a narrow escape with a sleigh full of coal.

"You've got to save Christmas!" The Head Elf told Scott, as if he didn't already know that.

"But how? I don't have any reindeer!" He argued.

"That's not true!" Bernard shook his head. He put two fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. From the stables one of the baby reindeer, Chet, came barreling out. Chet was young and incredibly untrained. He flew quickly, but was basically uncontrollable as he sped past the crowd of elves. The young reindeer tried his best to break quickly at the end of his reindeer runway. Lucky for Chet, Santa was there to catch him. Not so lucky for Scott, he took a 300 pound reindeer to the chest. The force of Chet's speed was enough to knock him to the ground. After the tin soldiers capture, and falling down the stairs attached to a toaster; getting knocked on the head was starting to feel normal. Carol and Curtis helped Santa to his feet and he mounted Chet quickly.

"Alright buddy," Scott sat on the reindeer and plucked up the reins. "You know what we gotta do!" Chet and Santa took off, zigzagging through the sky. The Calvin family, Curtis and Carol led the rest of the elves outside so they could all watch Scott's daring save. Once he and Chet caught up to Toy Santa and his sleigh, the true father of Christmas jumped from the back of the baby reindeer to the lead deer on the sleigh. Dasher's superior flight ability was apparent from the second Scott dropped onto his back. Now that he was in control of the lead reindeer, Scott could direct the herd to fly back down to the workshop. He did this with a simply tug on Dasher's reins. The whole heard turned at Dasher's lead and they began to fly back down towards the ground. With the sleigh pointing in the right direction, Scott hopped off Dasher's back and walked carefully on the rigging between his deer.

"What the heck are you doing up there? I can't see where I'm driving!" Toy Santa yelled. Scott ignored him and continued walking, ever so slowly, towards the seats of the sleigh. "YOU ARE A SAD, STRANGE, LITTLE MAN!" The Toy bellowed into the wind. "You're gonna fall!...I hope." Despite the taunts, Scott reached the front of the sleigh at last. "Can I help you?"

"Honey, I'm Home!" Scott Yelled before jumping at the sleigh. Toy Santa gave the reins a good tug, which sent Scott flying through the air, right past the seats of the sleigh. He saved himself by grabbing a bar off that was attached to the vehicle's tail. Now dangling thousands of feet in the air, Scott had to think of a new plan; fast. His grip was slipping as the sleigh whipped this way and that. To make matters worse toy Santa was driving further upwards. With the last of his strength he pulled himself up, and climbed his way to the front seat. There they were, Toy Santa and the real thing seated side by side in the sleigh. They brawled for a few seconds, fighting for control of the sleigh, but one Santa dropped the reins. The sleigh pitched forward, a crash landing was now unavoidable.

"Don't worry," Toy Santa said with a metallic chuckle. "The town will break our fall!" As they rocketed downwards, the sleigh knocked into the roof of the workshop and separated from the flying reindeer. Bracing themselves, Scott and Toy Santa fell right into the center of town. The sleight slid forwards a few feet. It came to a stop once it bumped into one of the workshop's outside staircases.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/n: Chapter 41, the ScottxCarol wedding! I'd love to get Chapter 42 out to you guys tonight, but it's pushing 1am in my time zone, so you might have to wait till tomorrow. (I'll try my best to get it out though for sure!) Thank you so much to Alyssa. , obsessive360 &amp; the 1 guest for your rapid reviews of Chapter 40! Whenever I'm up late like this, I'm always amazed how quickly some of you guys find newest chapter! Obsessive360, Toy Story is one of my favorite Disney movies and one of my favortie things with Tim Allen in it so I just _h__ad_ to include the "sad, strange, little man" line! Thanks again to all of you for sharing your love of this story and for continuing to read and review! I'm off to write the next Chapter! Hopefully you guys hear from me again soon!**

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Bernard and Charlie rushed forward and helped Scott capture Toy Santa. Under the real Santa's instructions they dragged the toy off to the Pantograph room and loaded him in the machine. Curtis meanwhile reprogrammed the machine from "duplicated and enlarge" to "Reduce and Subtract." The rest of the elves worked hard to collect all of the reindeer including Chet, who had stopped to snack at one of the greenhouses, and Comet, who had returned back to the Pole as soon as he could fly. Once they had been collected they were re-harnessed to the sleigh, and the toys were loaded up just like any other Christmas. Scott changed quickly into his Santa suit; thought it was still several sizes too big. As soon as Toy Santa was officially gone for good, Scott called for Carol and started towards his sleigh.

"Alright, we've got about ten minutes, is everything ready to go?" He asked Jess, Bernard and Curtis who had been put in charge of the final preparations. His three top elves looked back at him with confused expressions on their faces.

"Where are you going?" Bernard asked, his hands on his hips.

"You should know better than anyone, number one!" Santa snorted. "It's Christmas Eve! I have presents to deliver!"

"Santa, aren't you forgetting something?" Curtis coached.

"No." Scott shook his head. "Toy Santa's gone, the elves are saved, I've got the suit...sure it's a little big but..."

"Dad, you still have to get married." Jess reminded him. That would explain why the suit still didn't fit right.

"Excuse me?" Carol looked between the father and daughter. No one had said anything about getting married.

"Carol," Scott sighed. He had thought convincing her that he was Santa was going to be the hardest part. Boy was he wrong. He had not proposed to someone in twenty-five years and it certainly wasn't the type of thing you planned on doing more than once in your life time. He decided just to be honest with Carol, after all that seemed to be working well so far. "Carol I...I cannot continue being Santa, unless I find a Mrs. Claus."

"Ohh. So that's what the whole...Noodles and pie thing? You just needed to find a wife?" Carol Newman's ice queen voice had returned. She was guarded once more.

"No!" Scott groaned.

"No?"

"Yes." He sighed. "Yes, I was looking for a wife. No, I didn't figure on falling in love."

"You love me?" How could her heart not melt in the face of such honesty. "This is all happening so fast." She breathed.

"No pressure." Santa smiled. "I mean if I don't get married I just won't deliver the gifts. Children everywhere will stop believing. The elves will lose their jobs at the North Pole...And Christmas will be gone." Judy from the kitchens stepped forward and whispered in Scott's ear.

"Get down on one knee Santa." She instructed. "Do it, now." Scott did as she said, willing to take all the help he could get. "Say Carol..."

"Carol," he repeated.

"You say this is happening all so fast..." Judy fed him his next line and Scott repeated it. "But you've known me your whole life. When you were little and alone..." Scott smiled.

"I can take it from here," He whispered to the kitchen elf. Scott stood up and turned his attention back to Carol. "When you were little and alone, Santa was always there for you. And _I_ will be there for you, as long as you continue to believe in me. I know I'm asking you to leave everything at home. But I can guarantee you that this is worth it. This place, oh, this place is all about magic and wonder...and occasionally a thin crust pizza and a movie on a long winter night."

"Is there a school here?" Carol asked. Surely Scott didn't think she would give up what she loved doing just for him.

"Yes." Jess answered for her father. "Of course there is. And speaking as someone who's stood where you're standing," She added her own two cents in, resting her head on Bernard's chest. "The North Pole is the greatest home you could ever ask for."

"Carol, I love you." Scott said again. "Would you be my wife?"

"I will." She told him with a smile brighter than the star at the top of a Christmas tree. So as quick as possible, Mother Nature was summoned, since she was the only one who had power to marry any of the Legendary Figures. The ceremony was completed in under five minutes and as the newlyweds shared their first kiss, the clock struck midnight. Scott's stomach began to grown, and he was Re-Santafied and Christmas was officially saved.

"Come on Dad, we've got to get going!" Charlie insisted. He hated to tear his dad from his new wife, but they really needed to get those gifts delivered. Scott climbed into the sleigh with his son ready to for the eighth of their traditional father-son present deliveries.

"Well, Mrs. Claus you'd better get some rest." Santa told her as they prepared for takeoff. "Tomorrow starts vacation season, which means a three month honeymoon for us. Nothing tropical though," He insisted. "You don't want to see this," he gestured at his bursting gut, "in a Speedo." Several of the elves giggled at their boss' jokes as he took up the reins.

"Don't be home too late." Carol replied with another beautiful smile.

"And so it begins!" Scott mumbled playfully. With a flick of his wrist, the reindeer trotted off and soon the sleigh had disappeared from sight.

With Santa and Charlie off to deliver the presents, most of the elves official duties were finished. At least until next year. But Bernard wasn't letting anyone start their vacations until the workshop was cleaned, the Giant Tin Soldiers had been melted down, and the courtyard was cleared of any debris from Santa's sleigh crash earlier. The elves were divided into three crews and damage control was underway. Curtis was put in charge of the work crews and Bernard snuck away to write his end of Christmas speech like always. Jessica took it upon herself to show Carol around the North Pole. Not all of it because that would take some time, but she showed the new Mrs. Claus all the important areas like the kitchens, the main floor of the workshop, Curtis' office, Bernard's office, Santa's quarters and lastly the E.L.F.S room where Scott and Charlie's progress would be tracked all night long. Carol opted to stay in the last room, incredibly fascinated by the E.L.F.S. technology. Quintin, being a huge tech guy himself, offered to stay with the Mrs. and show here all around E.L.F.S., even the area's Jess didn't have security clearance for. Jessica left her new step-mother in Quintin's capable hands and set off for Bernard's office.


	42. Chapter 42

**A/n: Last Chapter of the night guys! I may or may not get around to doing some more tomorrow, but I will try to get at least one! But at least you guys got 3 Chapters to read tonight! Thank you HermioneandMarcus for your review of Chapter 41! As always reading and reviewing is much appreciated! I'm getting tired and I'm not ever sure it what I'm writing is making sense anymore, so I wish a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night tonight! Looking forward to hearing from everyone, please enjoy Chapter 42!**

* * *

The Head Elf was seated at his desk exactly where his wife had expected to find him. His head was bent down in concentration as he frantically scribbled out the words to his latest speech. Jess leaned her back against the doorframe, crossed her arms and smiled. It had been a long time since she'd seen him like this. On that night, he looked exactly as he had the first Christmas she'd met him. Panicked, but somehow still calm and calculating. He was mumbling to himself as he scratched out half-thought out ideas and open ended compliments to each department. A stack of unanswered vacations requests were stacked up by his left elbow and an uneaten plate of cookies was close by his right. A disheveled cot still sat off in a corner, the sheets remained unfolded from Bernard's last long night in the office.

The only difference between Bernard's office eight years ago, and his office on that night, was the photo that sat on the corner of his desk. Jess couldn't see it from where she stood in the doorway, but she knew what it was; a photo of their wedding day. Jess was in her white wedding dress. almost camouflaged into the snowy background and Bernard was standing next to her in his black suit. A toothy 11-year-old version of Charlie was also in the picture with them holding six-month-old Lucy.

At ten years old, when her parents had gotten divorced, Jessica Calvin thought her family would be broken forever. She had never been so wrong. The Calvin family would not remain a shattered version of itself. Thirteen years later, the family was bigger and stronger than ever. Neil and Laura got married, Lucy had been born, then Jess and Bernard were married, now Scott and Carol. It hadn't been the easiest thirteen years, but it seemed safe to say things were getting better.

"Are you going to stand there and watch me all night?" Bernard tried his best to sound annoyed, but Jess could tell he was glad she was there.

"How's the speech coming?" She asked, kicking off of the wall and striding across the room.

"The usual, thanking all of the departments to for their hard work and dedication this holiday season. Crunching the numbers on the most successful departments. Tabulating the cost of loss versus profit, which will be considerably high this year thanks to Curtis' Toy Santa..." Bernard sighed. "But what are you doing in here? I thought you were showing Mrs. Claus around."

"Carol it seems is very interested in E.L.F.S. technology." Jess explained. "So Quintin offered to show her some max security stuff that her step-elf doesn't have access to."

"You know, I've been meaning to give you top security clearance for years. I just...misplaced the paperwork."

"Don't worry about it." Jess waved him off. "You know that tech stuff is more Charlie's thing. Besides I didn't come up here for security clearance."

"Oh? Then what did you come here for?"

"Watch you mostly. I never have time to watch you work." She said sitting down on his lap. "Plus I was hoping you could take a break, bring me to see Lucy?" Jess bit her lip nervously. "I mean your speech really isn't due until Dad gets back from delivering gifts and I told Charlie we'd meet him there so..."

"Sure." Bernard agreed. It had been some time since he'd let Jessica persuade him to do something. They had spent so much of the last year fighting, it'd be nice to do something together. He kissed her on the cheek. "Let's go visit Lucy."

* * *

It was still the middle of the night when Bernard and Jess arrived at the Miller's house. Scott and Charlie arrived only a few minutes afterwards and together the four of them came up with a plan to tell Lucy the truth about everything. Charlie and Jessie woke their sleeping sister and sat her on the living room couch between them.

"Watch the fireplace." Charlie instructed. His little sister leaned her head against him and was about to fall back asleep when Scott, dressed as Santa, and Bernard stepped through the fireplace.

"Uncle Scott?" The little girl asked. She seemed unsure at first because he looked so different than the last time she had seen him. But she knew that was definitely Bernard who had come through the fireplace with him. Which could only mean one thing."YOU ARE SANTA! I knew it was you all along!"

"And you were right." Scott grinned.

"Uncle Scott, your cheeks are all rosy. Are you feeling better?"

"I'm feeling much better." He promised her.

"Are Jessie and Bernard your elves?"

"Yes, Lucy, we are." Bernard answered her. "We couldn't explain before because we had to get back to the North Pole quickly. But we'd be happy to answer any questions you have."

"How come Charlie isn't an elf too?" Lucy wanted to know.

"Well Lucy, I used to be a regular little girl just like you and Bernard was my best friend." Her sister explained. "And when I grew up, I wanted to marry Bernard. But the only way I could marry him was if I became an elf." Lucy listened to Jessie's explanation and thought about it for a minute. Everything seemed to make sense to her. She had figured most of this stuff out on her own already.

"Is there anything else I should know?" She asked curiously.

"No, but I think Charlie has something that he wants to tell ya." Scott told her.

"You know Lucy, I was about your age when I found out my Dad was Santa." Charlie began. "But I couldn't tell anybody."

"So I can't tell anybody either?" Lucy questioned with sad eyes.

"No." Charlie replied. "But knowing it isn't a burden. It's a gift. You know most kids stop believing in Santa when they grow up, but I get to believe in him forever! And now so do you."

"And maybe someday you can come and visit us at the North Pole." Jess suggested. Bernard and Scott both agreed to that.

"Ok." Lucy agreed too. "But do I still get toys?" She asked Santa excitedly.

"If you fall asleep like the rest of the kids!" Scott promised. "Merry Christmas Lucy, Merry Christmas Charlie, I've gotta fly! Bernard, Jess, I'll see you back at the Pole!" With that Scott was sucked back up the chimney.

"We'd better get back too." Bernard said. He checked his watch, which was set to North Pole time. "I still have a few things to write up before Santa gets back. So the two elves said their good-byes after making sure Lucy was tucked into bed.

"Promise, me you'll stay out of trouble this year?" Jess begged her younger brother as she gave him a good-bye hug.

"Don't worry, I think my rebellious phase is behind me." Charlie assured her.

"You know how to contact us if you need anything." Bernard added as he and Charlie shook hands.

"Just a snowglobe's shake away." Charlie smiled. "You two take care of each other, alright. Dad couldn't get through Christmas without either of you."

"Don't we know it." Jess laughed and the two elves disappeared from sight.


	43. Chapter 43

**A/n: Since this seems to be a burning questions on some of you guys minds, I guess I should address it. I think Scott's able to avoid a concussion because he's one of the legendary figures. I don't have any exact science or anything, but I like to imagine that Scott heals quicker than most people because there are still kids that believe in him. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day he's at his most powerful, almost invincible. As long as there are kids in the world who believe in him. It all has to do with magic. The reason neither Carol nor Bernard mentions the possible injury is because Bernard already knows all about Santa being strongest on Christmas Eve. And Carol? Well I just chalk that up to her being so overwhelmed by magic that she doesn't really know how to react to anything. I hope that clears things up a little! **

**Also, lightraygirl asked me if I'm going to be doing the third movie and the answer is yes. Absolutely yes! and there will probably be some more CarolxScott fluff coming up! As always thank you to dreamlightning, BlackArtWhiteVoice, KawaiiPanda121, Lightraygirl, Reindeer, guest140, and Flowerchild23 for your reviews of Chapter 42! Chapter 43 is mostly BernardxJessie fluff, so I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

"MmmMorning Bernard." Jessie mumbled when she woke up Christmas morning. She rolled over to give her husband a good morning kiss, but he wasn't there. "Overachiever." She groaned, sitting up in the bed. Christmas Eve was officially a whole year away, but Bernard was probably already at the workshop prepping for the next big day. Knowing full well that if Barnard had started working there'd be no getting him back in bed, Jess searched out a pair of slippers and a robe and shuffled out into the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas, darling!" Bernard called over his shoulder. He was standing in the kitchen cooking up a bountiful breakfast of waffles, bacon and eggs. It was warm in the kitchen. Maybe a little too warm making Jess regret her bathrobe.

"Merry Christmas, Bernard." She greeted him cheerily. "This is unexpected." She added about the breakfast. "I thought for sure you'd be at work."

"It's Christmas Day." Her husband snorted. "Even I have to take a break some time."

"I suppose you're right." Jessie chuckled. "Besides, it smells..." Jess inhaled a breath of breakfast smells. "...excuse me!" With her had covering her mouth Jess ran from the kitchen.

"Jessie?" Bernard turned off the stove. "Jessica?" He found his young wife looking very green as she knelt next to the toilet. "Jess are you alright?" Jess shook her head.

"I feel sick." She whined.

"Ok, let's get you back to bed." Bernard helped his wife to her feet and carried her back to their bed. He put the top of his hand to her forehead and frowned. "You don't have a fever, but maybe you should stay in bed and rest today."

"But it's Christmas." She tried to argue with him. "Everyone will be expecting me. Lucy, Charlie..."

"They will understand if you are sick." Her husband interrupted. "The last thing anyone is going to want is for you to get sicker or to get sick themselves. No, you're staying here in bed. I'll make it an order if I have to."

"You're such a grumpy Head Elf." She mumbled rolling over.

"Get some rest, Jessie." Bernard kissed his wife on the cheek. He then returned to the kitchen and ate a quick breakfast before heading out to the main workshop. Curtis was there waiting in the Head Elf's office with a long list of problems that needed to be solved.

"Oh good, you're here!" Curtis smiled. "The workshop is mostly cleaned up and the Tin Soldiers have been melted down, but there are few departments that have suffered major damage."

"Have you told Santa all of this?" Bernard asked, throwing himself into his office chair.

"No." Curtis shook his head. "Santa and Mrs. Claus have gone back to Illinois so she can collect her things. Then they're going to spend the day with Charlie. I know you and Jessica are suppose to join them there later, so if you want to just leave me a list of which projects to start..."

"Jessica and I won't be going to the Miller's this year." Bernard sighed. He pulled the list of damages out of Curtis' hand and started to skim through them.

"Not going? But why not?" Curtis was confused. Jess had never missed Christmas with her family. She looked forward to it every year and if Curtis was being perfectly honest, so did the rest of the elves. Christmas Day was the only day that Bernard officially took off. That left Curtis in charge, officially, and he _loved_ to be in charge of the pole on Christmas Day. It was the easiest day of the year. Most everyone else was on vacation and the few elves that did stay behind worked on personal projects or did their own thing.

"Jessie is sick. So I'll be working today." Bernard explained, looking up from the parchment in his hands.

"Sick, is she alright?" Curtis questioned. "Is it serious?"

"Probably not." Bernard shrugged. "She didn't even have a fever. I told her to stay in bed and rest. Charlie and the Millers will understand."

"So I should just leave the list with you then?" Curtis tried his best to not sound disappointed.

"I'll tell you what number two," Bernard held the parchment out to Curtis. "You decide what projects to work on."

"Really?" His eyes grew wide as he took the paper from his boss. "Why?"

"Well, you did a good job this year, and I know how much you like being in charge, Abby told me," The number one elf smiled. "Jessie's department is on the list of sever damages. I'm going to spend the day down there, send me anyone from paints that is not on vacation. Everyone else is under your command, _temporary_ number one."

"Thank you, Bernard!" Curtis grinned. "I won't let you down sir!"

"I have no doubt. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call my wife's family and tell them not to wait up."

Jessica spent most of the day in bed. She felt nauseous most of the morning and slept most of the afternoon. Every time she attempted to get up or out of the bed another wave of dizziness would wash over her. Bernard came by at lunch time and tried to get her to eat something, but all that did was turn her stomach once more. So after the Head Elf ate his own lunch, he sat in bed with his wife for awhile. Grateful for the company, Jess laid her head in her husband's lap. He stroked her hair and told her how he'd decided to put Curtis in charge of the Pole. She closed her eyes and listened as he told her about what a good job the number two elf was doing. Two hours later she was sound asleep. Bernard slipped out of bed and returned to the paint shop. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect for his wife once she was well enough to return to work.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: Chapter 44 is here! Last Chapter of the night too. (Sorry guys but I have to be up early in the morning and I need my Z's!) Thank you dream lightning and alyssa. for your reviews of Chapter 43! I'm sure you guys know this but I appreciate it so much! I'm not sure if I'll be able to get any Chapters out tomorrow but I sure will try! Thank you to everyone for following Jess and Bernard's story with me! I look forward to reading what all of you have to say! Have a good night, hope to hear from you soon!**

* * *

Jess had been on bed rest for three days. Every morning it was the same thing. Bernard would wake up his wife with a homemade breakfast, she would crawl out of the bedroom only to be racing to the bathroom after a moment. Jess hadn't eating in three whole days and her body was getting tired of being malnourished. Luckily she'd been able to down a few sports drinks each day, but physically she was exhausted.

"Darling, I think it's time you go to a doctor." Bernard insisted after breakfast the third morning.

"I don't think I could get out of bed, even if I wanted to." Jess groaned. She pulled the blankets up closer around her neck.

"I'll talk with the doctor and have him come here." Her husband promised. "Also, your father might stop by, he's been asking about you. He and Carol are suppose to be coming home from Illinois today."

"Ok. What have you been working on this week anyway?"

"The usual workshop stuff, why?" He asked sitting on the bed next to her.

"You've been running off every morning." Jess yawned. "How much damage did Curtis do when he was in charge on Christmas Day?"

"It's not from Curtis. He actually did a fine job Christmas Day. No, We're still working on cleaning up things up from Toy Santa. Some of the departments suffered minor damage, others are almost unrecognizable. We've been working on getting things back up and running."

"My department?"

"Is unfortunately one of the most severely harmed." Bernard confessed. "I was hoping to get everything fixed before you got back to work, but it's going to take weeks. And I don't want you to worry about that right now. You need to focus on getting better. So let's make that our number one priority."

"Stay home with me today." Jess asked. "That will make me feel better." Bernard thought about that for a few moments. Curtis had proved that he was more than capable of running the place, plus Santa would be back later that day; he could keep an eye on things.

"Sure." Bernard smiled. "Let me make a few arrangements and send for the doctor, but we can spend the whole day together."

Jess nestled herself back in bed while Bernard left to make the arrangements he needed. An hour later he returned with Dr. Hismus, the North Pole's star physician. Dr. Hismus was a sharp dressed elf. He wore well tailored dress pants, a dress shirt, a tie and a lab coat. He arrived at Bernard and Jessie's home carrying a legal notepad and an old fashion doctor's bag.

"Good Morning, Jessica." The Doctor greeted her cheerily. "You're husband tells me that you've fallen ill?"

"Yeah." Jess told him weakly. She sat up in the bed and managed a small smile.

"Could you describe your symptoms for me?"

"Nausea, vomiting, aching muscles, tired and weariness." Jess listed off all the horrible things she'd been feeling the past three days.

"I see." Hismus scribbled the symptoms down as she talked. "And you've been getting plenty of rest?" She nodded. "I have a couple of ideas, and I like to do a few simple blood tests to confirm. Would that be alright with you?"

"Anything to help me get better." Jess agreed. The doctor worked quickly to collect his blood samples. He left after promising to return once his data was collected and the test results were in. In the meantime Jess and Bernard snuggled up in bed and had a Christmas movie marathon. Of course Jess fell asleep after only an hour or two. Three hours after that, Bernard was about to doze off himself when there was a knock at the front door. It was Dr. Hismus, returning with his test results.

"Miss Jessica, I have great news." The doctor announced as Bernard led him into the room. "You're not sick."

"Tell that to my stomach." Jess complained.

"Well I didn't say you weren't experiencing symptoms." Hismus said.

"What does that mean?" Bernard asked. He wrapped a protective arm around his wife.

"Well sir, you wife's symptoms the nausea, vomiting, weariness are all signs of a temporary condition referred to by most as pregnancy."

"Pregnan...is that even possible?" Bernard looked at his wife.

"It's possible." Jess nodded. "It's_ very_ possible. Thank you Doctor. Please tell me you have a cure for morning sickness?"

"Not a cure, I'm afraid." Hismus frowned. "But a treatment, sure." He reached into his doctor bag and produced a bottle of medications. "Take these for the morning sickness." He pulled out a second bottle. "and you'll need to take these vitamins once a day too. Get plenty of sleep, no heavy lifting, doctors orders. And I'll expect you in my office next week for a check-up."

"We'll be there, for sure. Thank you so much." Jess smiled.

"I'll see myself out." The doctor left the two bottles in Bernard's lap and exited the elf house promptly.

"Bernard," Jess laughed, "We're going to have a baby."

"I-uh-I can't believe it." The Head Elf huffed. "I honestly never imagined we would...I mean we never talked about..."

"Are you...all right with this? I mean you're not thinking..."

"Don't even suggest it." Bernard interrupted. "We'll have to think of names...your family has to be told...the elves...I have get back to my office...There's so much planning to be done." He jumped to his feet mumbling about maternity leave and putting an addition on the house.

"Slow down there tiger!" Jess climbed out of bed. A surge of dizziness hit her, and she reached for her medication. "We have plenty of time to plan everything!" Bernard wheeled around to tell her that they, in fact, _did not_ have plenty of time to plan everything, but he panicked when he saw her out of bed.

"What are you doing?" He questioned with bulging eyes. "You shouldn't be out of bed."

"Bernard, I'm allowed to get out of bed. For the first few months at least. Besides, I'm so hungry and all I want is cookies."

"I'll bring you some cookies! No need to go out in the cold!"

"I'm going to go stir crazy if you try and keep me in the house for the next eight months."

"Eight months?" Bernard looked at her in concern. "Jessie, elfish pregnancies last for twelve months."

"A year?" she repeated back. "Twelve months. That's fine. It's what, three months more than usual? I can handle that. It will give us more time to plan. Everything is going to work out fine Bernard, you'll see."


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N: This Chapter was originally suppose to only be a few hundred words about Bernard and Jess but it accidentally turned into a whole Chapter! I'm sorry if you guys are looking for a bit more substance, but I'm on a bit of a fluff kick right now since I really enjoy writing interactions between the Millers, the Calvins and the elves. It's incredibly possible that Chapter 46 will be mostly fluff too since the North Pole will be getting some very special visitors :D**

** Archdruid89, I'd like to say that I enjoy your idea of talking more about some of the other departments at the north pole, and with your permission I might used some of these ideas in the future! As far as who I see portraying Jess? That's a tough one because I didn't write her with an actress or anyone in mind. She has brown hair and blue eyes like Tim Allen, but more of an "All American" face. No distinctive nose, wide eyes or anything like that. So kind of like Jennifer Lawrence, but a whole foot shorter. **

** obsessive360, I _love _the idea of spoiled JessxBernard babies! Like they aren't just spoiled by Scott&amp;Carol, but Neil&amp;Laura too! And the other elves love them because it's been a few hundred years since there's been elf babies, and Bernard&amp;Jess are always taking their kids with them everywhere. Spoiled doesn't even begin to cover it!**

**And to everyone, I would like to say that my PM box is always open. If you guys have ideas or you want to know what the future holds for Jess and Bernard, such as sequels and what I'm going to be doing after I finish this story I'm never going to be bothered by a PM from you! As always thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to leave comments or reviews, you know by now that I love to know what you guys are thinking! So thank you too BlackArtWhiteVoice, alyssa. , disneyfan555, lightraygirl, Applejax XD, lion Queen, ****Archdruid89, &amp; obsessive360! Enjoy 45 everyone!**

* * *

"Everything is going to work out fine Bernard, you'll see." Jessie insisted as her husband paced the room nervously. "Sit down and relax. Day off, remember?"

"Day off?" Bernard huffed. His wife truly didn't understand the gravity of their situation. They had six months before the Christmas busy season began and twelve months before a baby elf would be sharing the home with them. That meant that that later stages of her pregnancy would be the busiest months of the year! There was so much prepping that need to be done; So much work! There was no time for a day off.

"Yeah, you know a whole day where you don't go to the workshop. You don't yell at Curtis, you don't check on the reindeer..."

"I know what a day off is!" He snorted. "But Darling, you understand that we have twice as much to prepare for now and..."

"And if you're going to work, then so am I." She said, folding her arms over her chest defiantly. Bernard opened his mouth to counter argue when there was a knock at their front door.

"Hello? Anybody home?" Scott Calvin's voice called into the charming home.

"In here, Dad!" Jess answered. Dragging Bernard with her, she stepped out of the bedroom to greet her father. Scott and Carol were standing in the kitchen both looking concerned.

"Hi there Princess! How are you feeling?"

"Better Dad." She assured him. "Much better."

"I need to sit down." Bernard gasped. The Head Elf practically collapsed in the nearest kitchen chair.

"Bernard?" Carol's eyebrows knit together in worry. She knelt down and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy, breath for me, okay?"

"What's happening?" Scott asked. "Jess has this ever happened before?" Jessica shook her head.

"He's having a panic attack. I've seen it before in students during mid-terms." Carol explained. "Someone get me a glass of water." Jess raced to fill a glass. Her step-mother accepted the glass and forced it into Bernard's hands. "Barnard, listen to me, you need to steady your breathing and drink this water, slowly, if you can." The Head Elf did as he was told and after a few minutes he was able to control his breathing.

"Thank you Mrs. Claus." He said once he had calmed himself.

"Call me Carol, please." She smiled.

"Carol." He repeated with a nod. "Sorry about that everyone. As a was just telling my wife, I have some work to do." Bernard go to his feet and put his now empty glass in the sink.

"Well hang on, I thought you were taking the day off? What happened?" Santa wanted to know. "Did Curtis set the kitchen on fire?" He joked.

"It's my fault, Daddy." Jess interrupted. "I had asked Bernard to stay home with me because I wasn't feel well. But the doctor came by this afternoon and I feel much better. And I didn't realize how much damage still had to be cleaned up from this whole Toy Santa business."

"Bernard if you're feeling overwhelmed, you know Carol and I are here now, you don't have to deal with everything alone. You've got Curtis and the other department heads, lots of help. So why don't you take the rest of the day off? As a matter of fact, that's an order."

"But Santa I..."

"Now, I'm not going to argue with you about this." Scott asserted. "You're taking the day off, so why don't you and Jessie both join us at the workshop. We still haven't given you your presents."

"With all due respect Santa..."

"We'd be happy to join you there, Dad." Jess agreed, shutting her husband up. "Give us a few minutes and we'll meet you in your office, alright?"

"We'll see you there." Carol smiled. She and Scott excused themselves from the house and started trekking through the snow.

"Something is up with them." Scott remarked as they headed home.

"What makes you say that?" Carol asked, looking over her shoulder to stare back at the elves' house.

"I've known Bernard for years. He's never once had a panic attack. And he certainly isn't panicked about work. That guy _lives_ for work. He has me start checking my list in _July_."

"Well there's a first time for everything, Scott. Maybe some rest is really all he needs."

* * *

"What just happened to you?" Jess questioned Bernard in a panic. "Are you alright?"

"Like Mrs…Carol said, it was a panic attack." He shrugged. "I haven't had one in a very long time. But seeing your father here and knowing that your…you know. I can't imagine what he's going to think once he finds out."

"You think my dad is going to be mad when he finds out we're having a baby?" His wife laughed at him."My dad loves kids! He worked for a toy company before he was Santa! And now, well what kind of a Santa would he be if he didn't?"

"But you're still so young!"

"Not to a human." Jess sighed. "I understand that I still don't get exactly how all this elf stuff works but for humans, 23 is a fairly acceptable age to have kids. My parents were younger than that when I was born. Besides, even if Dad stays Santa forever, which we know is very unlikely, Neil and Mom won't live forever. I'm sure they'd like to be around to see our kids."

"I suppose you're right." Bernard sighed. "There's just so much to…"

"Don't think about how much work there is to do! Day off, Santa's orders!" She reminded him before getting a change of clothes and stepping into the bathroom for a shower.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/n: Sooooo I changed the story name...Thoughts? I just felt that "My Dad is Santa Claus" didn't fit the vibe of the story anymore. When I had chosen that title originally this story was just going to be the first movie. now that it's expanded into a sorted extended universe, I decided "Christmas with the Calvins" would be a better title. I'd love to know what you guys thing. Do you hate it?**

**Sorry this update took so long guys, Basically this was suppose to be a small bit at the end of 45, but when the last chapter came out longer than I expected, well, I had to think of a way to stretch this one without watering it down! It isn't quite as fluffy as 45 was, but there's lots of family interactions. To those of you who are asking, YES, yes I will eventually get into the third movie and it will be published as part of this story/book. I'd like to write my way through movie three by Christmas Day, but who knows if that will happen? I will not abandon this story no matter how long it takes for me to get these new chapters/updates out, so we will be with Jessie&amp;Bernard at least until the end of the third movie! Thank so much to everyone for enjoying this story so much and for being so interested in this collection of fluff. Thank you too Mickey8142, Jessenia22, TheGreatFangirl1922, Archdruid89, Flowerchild23, Alyssa. , HermioneandMarcus, reindeer, &amp; Dream lightning for your reviews of Chapter 45! I hope you guys like 46, and I hope I can get some more updates out to you all soon!**

* * *

"Bernard!" Curtis huffed when he spotted Jess and the Head Elf walking hand-in-hand to the workshop. "I had nothing to do with it, I swear!"

"Had nothing to do with what, Curtis?" Bernard growled. He put his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer from his number two.

"Curtis, don't answer that." Jess interrupted. "You're temporary Head Elf. Whatever happens for the rest of the day is your responsibility. So if one of the baby reindeer somehow squeezed its way into the workshop and trampled over all the Easy Bake Ovens _you_ have to figure out how to fix it."

"How did you know a baby reindeer got in here?" Curtis asked with wide eyes.

"A baby what?" Bernard choked out. He thought his wife was just making up a story when she said baby reindeer. "Where? Which one?"

"Day. Off." Jess snarled at her husband. She could be pretty stern when she wanted to, and she wanted nothing more than for Bernard to relax for the rest of the day. "As for the reindeer, it was a lucky guess." No wonder Bernard was so high strung. The guy left for a few hours and reindeer were running the place.

"Is it back at the stables?" She sighed. Curtis nodded. "Good. Then gather whoever's not on vacation from kitchen staff and who's left in the toy oven division and start cleaning up. If you need anything, find Santa." She pulled the still sputtering Head Elf away from a guilty looking Curtis without another word.

"How did he even get a reindeer into the…"

"Never mind that." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It will all be taken care of before you get back to work tomorrow."

"But if he can't handle the reindeer, that means he can't handle the elves..."

"Bernard," Jess warned. "Day..."

"I know, I know. Day off." He huffed before folding his arms over his chest.

"There you are!" Scott greeted as his daughter and son-in-law stepped into his office. "I was starting to worry that we might have to go back and collect you guys. Carol..." He called for his new wife.

"Oh good, you're here!" Carol smiled as she entered the office from an attached room. She and Scott shared a look before the former principal spoke. "Jessica, since you were sick, you didn't get to spend Christmas Day with your family."

"Right, so Carol and I, well we figured we'd do the next best thing…" Scott added.

"And bring the family here!" Charlie announced, stepping out of the adjoining room. Laura and Neil followed after him with little Lucy in tow. Immediately Jessie gave Bernard a sideways glance to make sure he wasn't going to have another panic attack or pass out. He seemed to be fine, so Jess flung her arms around her younger brother. Tearful hellos and other happy greetings were exchanged between Jess, Bernard and the rest of their family.

"I'm so glad you guys are here!" She grinned, breaking away from a hug with her mother. Having her family around was the best gift her Dad could have given Jess for Christmas. She had felt so bad about missing their Christmas Day together.

"Yeah, it's amazing..." Neil said, taking in Scott's office with an open mouth. It was the first time he and Laura had been to the North Pole since his stepdaughter's wedding and he had forgotten how picturesque the place could be.

"It_ is_ amazing." His stepdaughter agreed kissing Neil on the cheek. "And we, that is Bernard and me, have some amazing news of our own..."

"Jessie, what are you doing?" Her husband whispered into her ear nervously. She could tell his voice was getting panicky.

"We have to tell them eventually." She answered back. "And I don't want you passing out in the middle of dinner or something. Better to get it over with now, don't you think?"

"Have to tell us what?" Neil, who was standing the closest to the couple, asked.

"Jessica, is everything alright?" Scott jumped in, his dad voice in full force.

"Everything is...is fine." Bernard assured him, trying to sound confident despite his speeding heart.

"Better than fine." Jess said, looping an arm through one of her husband's. "Everyone, Bernard and I...Well, we are having a baby." The Calvins and the Millers reactions varied throughout the room. Laura and Carol both looked thrilled. Scott looked worried, Neil seemed to be some variation of intrigued. Charlie was smiling, and Lucy wasn't sure how she felt about it yet.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother!" Laura gushed. She seemed overjoyed and began chatting cheerily with Neil.

"Oh, a baby?" Scott smiled. "So that's why the two of you were acting so weird."

"We just found out this morning." Bernard gulped.

"And that panic attack you had this morning?" Carol's face softened.

"He was just worried about how everyone was going to react. Which of course was silly." Jess said. She laid her head against her husband's shoulder. "Right, Dad?"

"Well..." Her father pretended to be upset, but everyone knew there was no truth to his glare. Everyone except Bernard. The Head Elf paled as his father-in-law spoke. "Oh-ho-ho come now, Bernard!" Scott laughed. He slapped the elf on back. "I couldn't be more thrilled! I get a wife and a grandkid in the same week!"

"Oh gosh, Carol!" Jess vocalized sympathetically. In all her joy she had forgotten that Carol had only been her step-mother for a few days. "You've been part of our family for less than a week and I've already made you a grandmother."

"It's alright. I'm learning that you Cavlins like to move fast." Mrs. Claus joked. She laughed and it spread like an infection around the room.

"How small are elf babies?" Lucy interrupted. She wanted to be well informed before she decided if she liked this baby or not.

"Well all babies are small at first." Bernard told her. He crouched down and talked to her eye to eye just like she liked. He and Lucy continued talking when Charlie asked a question of his own.

"So are you guys hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"Girl." Bernard answered quickly before returning to his conversation with Lucy.

"Boy." Jess answered at the same time. Everyone else laughed again.

"So I guess there's no point in asking about names yet then?" Scott joked.

"Well, we have plenty of time to figure all of that out. Twelve months apparently." His daughter tried to sound casual as she mentioned the detail that had her most concerned about pregnancy. "Neil, are you alright?" Up until this point her step-father hadn't given his opinion about the baby either way.

"I'm just...fascinated with the science behind all of this." He mumbled. "Twelve months? That's a long time..."

"Well, if you like Dr. Miller, I could set up an appointment with one of our doctors. you all must have a lot of questions. I know Lucy does." Bernard suggested with a wink at his sister-in-law. "Um, _after_ we exchange gifts of course."

"Yes, presents first!" Scott insisted rubbing his hands together excitedly. He'd almost forgot that Christmas was what had brought them all together in the first place. Besides exchanging presents would give them all time to process the news about Bernard and Jess' baby. "Now we're talking!" He reached behind his desk and pulled out his magic red bag. "So, who wants to go first?"


	47. Chapter 47

**A/n: It's 3am and I really should be asleep instead of up writing fanfics, but I can't sleep and so that means you guys get an extra chapter tonight! I'm glad you guys like the new title, and That-Stubborn-Biotch, I don't think that makes you a kiss ass. The old title really didn't fit the story anymore, I'm just glad the new one does. :) **

** Archdruid89, you are more than entitle to argue with my casting of Jess. As I've said before though I didn't really write her with an Actress or other character in mind, when I named Jennifer Lawrence, I was speaking of her purely because of her physical appearance; not her age. Kind of like if I had to make the Santa Claus movies now or something. If I had to name actresses based off what their ages and appearances would have been in the 90s? I'd say maybe Caterina Scorsone (Amelia Shepherd on _Grey's Anotomy) _Though even she would be three years younger than David Krumhotlz. But he looks pretty young, even during his days on _Numb3rs. _(Which happens to be one of my favorite tv shows!) If we wanted to talk a little older, Elizabeth Banks would also be a good match. She looks great with brown hair and I think she could really pull off that "All American Girl" thing that I want Jessie to have. And It would be alright for Jess to be a bit older, since she's suppose to be twenty three once she gets married. Which brings me to my final suggestion, Rachel McAdams. You really can't get any more all american than Rachel McAdams. And she was born in '78, making her the same age as David. But like I said you are completely entitled to you opinion, after all one thing I love about FanFiction is it's really all about how you interpret things! For me personally, Jennifer Love Hewitt is just not _my_ Jessie but it's perfectly fine if she is for you!**

**I'd like to open this question up to all of you, what actress, celebrity to you guys see Jess looking like? It could be someone would would have been around Jess' age when the movies were out like Rachel McAdams and Jennifer Love Hewitt or someone that you just think would look the most like her, Like Jennifer Lawrence or just someone you think would look great next to Bernard! I"m very curious to see how many other versions of Jess there are out there! Thank you to That-Stubborn-Biotch, Archdruid89, dream lightning, &amp; obsessive360 for your rapid reviews of Chapter 46! Please continue to read &amp; review! And if you haven't weighed in on the name change, feel free to do so! If you want to tell me who Jess Calvin looks like to you, feel free to comment that too! **

* * *

So The Calvins and their Millers had their rescheduled Christmas Day. Bernard and Jess received a surprisingly large amount of baby items from Scott and Carol thanks to Santa's magic bag. But they also received plenty of things for themselves too, like exotic hot coco mixes for their daughter and incredibly detailed stationary products for Bernad. Neil had managed to find Jess some of the best sellers that she had been wanting to read but weren't printed at the North Pole, and in return his step daughter had tracked down some first edition physchology journals that he had been look for for years. Lucy was happy to receive a "little sister" bracelet from Jess, and she was even happy when she saw a matching "big sister" charm dangling from just under her sister's sweater sleeve.

"And Lucy, you have one more gift from us." Bernard explained. He and Jess had their gifts wrapped in candy cane stripped paper in a pile between them. They all blended together in a festive zebra pattern. All except one square silver box. Bernard reach down and plucked box out of the pile before handing it to his little sister.

"Since you're part of the family secret now," Jess said as Lucy toyed with the silver ribbon that wrapped around the package, "We figured you would need one of these."

"What is it?" Lucy asked, not wanting to destroy the perfect wrapping job, that had no doubt been done with Bernard's meticulous hands.

"You'll have to open it to find out." Bernard chucked. With Charlie's help, Lucy delicately opened her present. She smiled as soon as she saw what it was. A snow globe just like the one Bernard had given to Charlie when he was Lucy's age. The only difference, was that this snow globe had her name painted on it in silver and gold. _"Merry Christmas Lucy, love Jessie &amp; Bernard." _It read.

"Oh I love it!" Lucy grinned. She gently place the snow globe back in its box for safe keeping. "Thank you Jessie, thank you Bernard!" She exclaimed pulling both her favorite elves into a hug.

"We're glad you like it Lucy." Jess smiled. "Now this one is for you Charlie, and please be careful with it, it's very expensive." She handed her brother a small, rectangular peppermint striped box. Charlie tried to be gentle as his torn into his box, but he was very excited. Jessie and Bernard _always_ gave him the best presents.

"A cellphone?" He remarked excitedly once the present was opened. He could hear all the adults in the room open their mouths to protest, but Jess was prepared for exactly that sort of reaction. It was not an ordinary cellphone. She explained. It could only call the numbers that had been programmed into it, and all the programming was controlled at the North Pole. So with the phone Charlie could only call Scott's office, Bernard and Curtis' offices and the Miller's home. Bernard also added that the phone was linked to the N&amp;N list and the second that Charlie tipped over to the Naughty side it would stop working. It was a lot of rules, which all the parents seemed to agree to, but Charlie knew his friends would still think he was cool for having a cellphone. Even if it could only call four numbers.

After the gift exchanging was done, the family gathered in the cafeteria for a traditional-ish Christmas dinner. Neil was given the honor of carving the Christmas turkey considering he'd let Scott carve the actual bird on Christmas Day. Everyone's favorite dinner fixings were served from sweet potato with marshmallows that Lucy liked to butternut squash that Carol loved more than anything else. It would have been a perfect Christmas Day, if only it had taken place on the afternoon of the holiday.

Much to Scott's enjoyment, Judy and Abby served everyone hot coco and cookies for dessert before they were taken on a tour of the workshop. Bernard tried his best to remain focused on the tour, but every so often he'd catch a minor elf infraction and he'd have to speak up. After two or three of these incidents he pulled Santa aside and begged his boss to let him get back to work. Realizing that it was _more work_ trying to keep his Head Elf from work, Scott agreed.

"Twelve months from now I'm forcing you to take a maternity leave, buddy!" Santa shouted as Bernard ran off to harass a pair of stable elves who had lost _another _baby reindeer.

"Please don't." Jess asked her father as the family walked away from the stables. "He's already worried about the baby cutting into production time and making the house bigger. You'll only make it worse threatening to keep him home."

"I know-ho-ho.." Scott chucked. "It just never gets old seeing him all flustered like that." Jess rolled her eyes at her father's childish behavior.

"You won't think it's funny when he murders Curtis Lowe tonight for doing what Bernard thinks is a subpar job." She joked.

"Nah he won't murder him." Scott added seriously. "Because if he did, we'd have to put him in elf jail. Which he would hate because it's basically like having a day off for the rest of his life."

"Work would be punishment for most people, but not my Bernard." Jess said. "Speaking of work, Let's show everyone the school, I'm sure Carol would love to see it."


	48. Chapter 48

**a/n: Chapter 48 is here everyone! It is a little fluffy, but there are some good fathery moments with Jess, Bernard &amp; Scott so I just had to! **

**Also RandomMan5113 suggested Keri Russell as a face for Jess and I really love that idea, so she would be my second choice after Jennifer Lawrence.**

**SummerMistedDragon/keacdragon, I like the name change!**

**Hmmm...I don't have much else to say tonight other than enjoy! Oh and as always thank you to ILoveFanMadeStories21, snowflake2410, Lightraygirl, Jessenia22, RandomMan5113, SummerMistedDragon, Applejax XD,&amp; The GreatFanGirl1922 for your reviews of Cp. 47! I'm sure you all know by now that I absolutely love reviews, and I always enjoy reading what you guys have to say after every chapter. So thank you again for reading and reviewing! Please enjoy Chapter 48, I'll return with a new update soon!**

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"Twins?" Bernard's voice cracked as he sputtered out the word. A week had passed since he and his wife had first found out they were going to have a baby. Now the time had come for their follow up appointment with Dr. Hismus. After a brief examination, the three elves sat in the doctor's office and he relayed his newfound information to the couple.

"That's what my scans are showing here, sir." The doctor replied with confidence. He slid the scans across the desk so that Bernard could see for himself. "You sound upset?"

"He's terrified." Jess answered for her husband. She reached out and took his hand in comfort. She picked up the scans from the desk and smiled. "Please tell me what we're having. Boys? Girls?"

"One of each." Dr. Hismus announced.

"One of...oh Bernard isn't that wonderful?" She squeezed his hand excitedly.

"Mmhhmmm." He nodded, his mind already calculating the cost of _two_ babies.

"And this should go without saying Mrs Calvin, but you should stay away from alcoholic beverages and other substances for the next year. Anything much stronger than a Tylenol should be avoided really. And please don't overexert yourself at work. I can write a medical note if need be."Again the doctor turned his attention to the Head Elf who was still looking pretty pale.

"That won't be necessary." Bernard mumbled. "Thank you doctor. This is great news." He added, getting to his feet.

"Thank you so much for your time Dr. Hismus." Jess said, standing up herself. "We'll see you at our next appointment. And if you'll excuse us, I'd like to get my husband back to work before he has a mental breakdown." So Jess and Bernard left the doctor's office and crossed the small patch of snow to the main workshop. All the while Bernard was chirping warnings at his wife.

"Careful," He remarked. "We don't want you falling or getting hurt." In response, Jessie just rolled her eyes at him. This was his way of coping with their dramatic news, so she let him fret and fluster all the way back to the workshop.

Scott was excitedly pacing the workshop floor waiting for his daughter and son-in-law to return from their appointment. No one outside of the family knew that the Elf couple was expecting a baby. So to the rest of the North Pole it looked like their Santa was pacing nervously. The second Jess and Bernard stepped through the front doors, he rushed to them.

"So?" Scott asked, his eyes wide with anticipation. "Wait, don't say anything!" He held his hands up to stop them from bursting out any news. "Let's go to my office where the elves wont overhear."

"Please excuse me, I have some urgent work I must see to it in my office." Bernard excused himself from the conversation and crept into his own office.

"What's wrong with Bernard?" Scott frowned. He knew his son-in-law was nervous about becoming a father, but he had really hoped this doctor visit would inspire him somehow. Then again Bernard himself had been hoping for baby girl, maybe that's what had him so out of sorts.

"Is it a boy?" Scott asked his daughter his daughter, he really wanted his first grandkid to be a grand_son_.

"Yes, dad, it's a boy."

"Alright, team baby boy!" Scott cheered. He held his hand up to his daughter for a high five. Jess slapped his hand and laughed. "Oh Bernard will be fine. The second he lays eyes on his baby boy, he'll fall in love with him. just like I did with you."

"That's very sweet Dad." His daughter kissed him on the cheek. "And it's not the baby that's got Bernard so flustered. It's the _babies_."

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Babies, Dad." She repeated. "As in pleural. As in twins. We're having twins, a boy and a girl."

"Twins? Wow, that's ah...that's something." her dad whistled. "Say why don't you go find Curtis? He's been wondering what's going on. He asked me this morning if he was getting fired. I figured he should hear the good news from you."

"Yeah, sure." Jessie nodded. "I'll talking to him after I check on Bernard."

"Why don't you leave Bernard to me?" Scott suggested.

"You?"

"Yes me. Why not? let me talk to him man to man."

"I-I don't know about that..."

"Oh come on, it will be fine!" Scott put a reassuring arm around his daughter. "Go find Curtis, I'll talk to that husband of yours and then we can all meet up together for dinner."

Bernard sat alone in his office and stared at the usual spray of paperwork that was scattered around his desk. Normally he'd throw himself into his work, he _wanted_ to throw himself into his work. He wanted a distraction. Something that made him feel like he was in control. But the truth was the Head Elf was not in control anymore. His wife was pregnant through some sort of Christmas miracle.

That sure had thrown him for a loop. Now they're telling him he was soon going to be the father of _twins. _Two babies meant twice as much to prepare for! Not to mention Christmas. Christmas was going to be a disaster! And it wasn't like he could simply leave Curtis in charge. The number two was in charge for less than 24 hours and the place had gone sour faster than egg nog.

Yet most of the departments had been repaired. Reasonable vacation requests had all been approved and after-Christmas bonuses had all been delivered. Bernard hadn't been this far ahead on his work since before he was married, and yet he couldn't shake the heavy feeling in his chest. He was overwhelmed. There was a knock at the office door, Santa let himself in.

"Hey Bernard!" Scott greeted Cheerfully. "Listen I was,ah, just talking to Jess. Twins. Wow. That's, ah, a _big_ responsibility."

"Santa I promise you it is a responsibility I am willing to take on." Bernard swore. He sat up straight in his chair and looked back at his father-in-law very seriously. Scott smiled. He invited himself in and sat in one of the chairs opposite his son in law.

"You know when Jessie was born, I was terrified."

"You were?"

"Well of course!" Santa laughed. "I didn't know anything about raising a kid! Sure Laura and I had talked about it, but we didn't know what we were doing."

"But Santa…Scott, when did you know you were ready?"

"The first time I held Jessie in my arms. She looked like an alien, all kids do at first. But I was sitting there holding this little girl in my hands and I thought _How the hell am I going to be able to take care of this thing? How am I going to make sure my little girl is safe from with world? _And as I was thinking that, tiny baby Jessica reached out and wrapped her hand around one of my fingers. And that was when I knew. From that day forward I was the king of the castle and Jessie was my little princess."

"That's a very touching story, but what if that doesn't happen?" Bernard worried. "What if I scoop up these two little elves and I hold them in my hand and...nothing? Or what if they grow up to hate me?"

"Oh they least they say they will a lot. " Scott laughed. "The first time they want to go to a party and you tell them no because it's a school night. Or when they sneak their first sip of egg nog and they try to sneak into the house late at night. But sometimes if they're mad at you, that means your doing the right thing. Besides Laura and I didn't raise our kids alone. We had lots of help from our parents…"

"And Dr. Miller?"

"Yeah, and Neil. And you kids will have tons of help too! Me, Carol, Neil, Laura, Charlie and Lucy, all of the elves…Bernard your kids are going to grow up with the biggest family anyone could ever ask for. We'll all be parenting experts before they're three."

"I suppose you're right." The Head Elf nodded.

"It was bound to happen sometime." Scott shrugged, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Listen I'm going to take the reindeer out for a spin, so I'll let you get back to work. But Carol and I will be expecting you guys over for dinner. I want to talk about this addition you want to put on your house."


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: It feels like forever since I last updated. I'm sure it feels that way to you guys too, so this chapter is a bit longer than normal. It also has some of Bernard's back story, so I hope you guys enjoy! Oh and before I go I want to tell you guys to please head over to RandomMan5113's page (you can find the pen name among my reviews and click the link) and read "****The Story of Michael Calvin" The story is similar to this one as it covers how The Santa Clause would be different if Charlie had an older brother. It going to be a full story and so far it is pretty great! So definitely head over there and give RandomMan5113 some support! Ok my shameless plug's over now. :)**

**As always, I can not say enough that I wound be nothing without you wonderful readers! So thank you too Alyssa. Applejacks XD, SummerMistedDragon,** **Lightraygirl, RandomMan5113, FlowerChild23, and Anon for your reviews of Chapter 48! I can't wait to hear from you all again!**

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"Hey Judy!" Jess greeted as she stepped into the kitchens in search of Curtis. Judy greeted Jessica back with a smile and a nod as she carried a tray of cookies to the ovens. "Have you seen Curtis around by chance?" Jess questioned, following her friend to the oven. Judy nodded.

"Last I saw he was talking to Abby over by the hot coco machines." Judy lowered her voice to a whisper. "He thinks he's going to get fired because of the reindeer."

"I promise he is not going to get fired." Jess assured before going over to the coco machines. Curtis and Abby were there, each of them holding a steaming mug and laughing, neither of them noticed the painter elf until she spoke. "Curtis!" This startled the number two elf so badly that he almost spilled his hot chocolate.

"Hi, Jessica!" He exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine Curtis, I feel fine. In fact I have some news that I would like to share with you."

"With...me?"

"Yes, with you, and Abby of course." She added when second elf started to walk away. Abby turned around, eager to hear what the news was. "You two will be the first to know outside of the family, Im pregnant."

"You're having a baby?" Abby repeated excitedly. Like most elves, she loved kids and was very excited that there would soon be baby elves around the workshop. The that it would be Jess and Bernard's baby somehow made it more exciting.

"Technically we are having two." Jess explained. She knew she'd have to get used to correcting people with that. "I'm pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl."

"Babies? That's...that's great news!" Curtis let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He gave Jessica a hug. "I thought I was going to get fired because of…"

"Because of the reindeer incident? Most everyone's probably forgotten about that by now." She tried to comfort him. In truth no one had forgotten about the baby reindeer running through the workshop last week, but It wouldn't help to tell Curtis that. "I would really appreciate it if you two could keep things quiet for now, I'll tell Judy my secret on the way out, but other than that you can't tell anyone. I'm sure Bernard will want to make some sort of official announcement."

"Don't worry," Abby assured, "You're secret's safe with us."

"I know I can trust you both. And the reason why I came to find you Curtis, is because Bernard and I are going to be very busy with preparation for the babies and Christmas. And my husband's not going to ask you for your help, so I will."

"But how can I help?" The number two elf gulped.

"Well for starters, no more unauthorized experiments. The last thing we need is a Toy Bernard running around demanding this or that. And no more animals outside of their designated areas, agreed?" Curtis nodded. "Curtis I know you're smart. You know what things needs to get done in order to get ready for Christmas. So this year, help Bernard. Help me and the rest of the Pole. Make sure the important things don't slip through the cracks."

"I think I can do that."

"Thanks Curtis. Thank you Abby." Jess gave Curtis another hug and one to Abby before seeking out Judy over by the ovens. The head of the kitchen was also overjoyed to hear Bernard and Jess's life changing news. Like Curtis and Abby, Judy also promised to do everything she could to assist the couple. So Jessica left the kitchens satisfied that her friends would be there if and when she needed something from them.

Bernard was still in his office but he felt much better after his heart to heart with his father-in-law. It was probably the most serious conversation the two had ever shared. Needless to say Bernard was feeling a little emotional when his wife finally made her way up to his office. She let herself in and perched on the corner of the desk, despite his urging that she sit in a chair.

"So…" She let the word trail off and Bernard knew she was trying to gauge his response. "Twins, huh."

"Have you ever noticed that my parents aren't around?" Jess tried to suppress a snort but it came out anyway.

"Considering you haven't mentioned them _once_ in all the time that I've known you? Yes, I have noticed they are not around."

"You never asked me…"

"Well, I figured you would talk to me about it when you were ready. You're not exactly very forthcoming about your family tree. It took me three years to find out Judy was your cousin and she's the one who told me!" Jess chuckled her sweet laugh that jingled and jangled like the bells on her father's sleigh. It made Bernard smile. "I just knew you'd talk about them when the time was right." She added seriously.

"My father was a Santa Claus." Bernard confessed. His wife gasped. "Not the one your father pushed off the roof." He assured her. "In fact no one pushed him off of anything. It was more than twelve hundred years ago."

"Most of the elves around today weren't even born then. We lived in England somewhere, it was so long ago I've nearly forgotten. But the winter that year was especially harsh. My father went out in the yard one night to chop some wood for our stove. He found a man, in our yard, wearing a bright red suit. Well you know what happened after that. For some reason or another he put on the coat and we were whisked away to the North Pole. My mother became Mrs. Claus the same year. Which left only me. I was 17 when I begged the Head Elf at the time to let me be an elf too. I was kid and I was scared. I wanted to be with my parents for as long as I could."

"What did the head elf say?"

"He said no at first, but there are rules in the Christmas Handbook that even apply to children of Santa. Human children of Santa are not allowed to live at the North Pole…"

"So eventually the Head Elf had to give you what you wanted."

"Exactly." Bernard nodded. "And once I'd become an elf, well I set out to make myself the greatest elf the North Pole had ever seen. I studied everything from Reindeer Games to exotic Coco blends. And when I was ready I got my first job."

"In the Naughty and Nice room." Jessie remembered from a story he had told her once before.

"Yes. I quickly worked my way up to other titles though. I was promoted faster than any elf had ever been, until Curtis came along. And like Curtis I was an ambitious young elf. Always proposing new projects, new ideas. The highlight of my career was when I was promoted to Keeper of the Christmas Handbook. Head Elves take _forever_ to retire so I knew it would be centuries before I could even attempt to reach for that position. As number two elf, I could finally start to implement some of the rules we'd been ignoring for decades. I could initiate real change and instill order to what was at the time a very chaotic workshop. At the same time, my parents grew tired of being Mr. &amp; Mrs. Claus. My father went out and found someone else to pick up the mantle. Nothing was explained to me until the new Santa showed up in his red coat full of questions…"

"So you went looking for your parents. But they had already forgotten about the North Pole. They had forgotten about _you._" Jess realized. That was why Bernard had wanted Scott to find a Mrs. Claus. He didn't want to be forgotten again.

"My own mother and father had no idea who I was. I had never existed to them. All those years were lost. Every birthday, anniversary, and Christmas." Bernard sighed. "So I worked. I worked harder than even I thought possible. If they could forget me, then I could just as easily do the same…"

"But Bernard," Jess interrupted. "It doesn't work like that. It was magic, they didn't have a choice."

"Of course, but that didn't make it any less painful. Then I finally became Head Elf and I had to prove myself. And so I didn't have time for a family…"

"And then in came Scott Calvin and his two adorable children." Jess interjected. She knew how the story went from here. "Little Charlie with his dimples and innocent smile, and Jessica who managed to thaw the frozen heart of the North Pole's greatest Head Elf. Before any of them even had time to blink there was a wedding, a new Mrs. Claus and Twins. And so Bernard found himself at the center of a family much larger than he had ever anticipated."

"You can understand why I'm feeling overwhelmed." Bernard sighed again. "I was an only child, and I was on my own for so long. Jessica, I don't know how to be a father."

"Of course you don't!" Jessie snorted. "And I don't know how to be a mother either. But _my_ mother does. And Carol was a teacher so she might know a bit about parenting. And my dad is a great dad. Neil's good too. They'll help. And the elves too."

"That's exactly what your father said when he came to talk to me." Bernard chuckled.

"Well he's not really wrong. Everyone here loves you."

"No," Bernard shook his head. "They love you. They simply tolerate me because I am their boss."

"Be that as it may, they are our friends and you tolerate them just as much as they tolerate you." His wife joked. "I have to get back to work, see you at dinner?" She kissed him on the cheek and left the office.


	50. Chapter 50

**A/n: Chapter 50 is here everyone! So I'm thinking maybe two or three more chapters before the babies are born, and then we can start working towards _The Escape Clause. Y_ou guys know me, things may change, but this is the game plan for now. **

**Thank you to SummerMistedDragon, dream lightning, anon, obsessive360, RandomMan5113 for your reviews of Chapter 49! I'm glad that you guys enjoyed Bernard's backstory. It's one of my favorite things I've written for this fic so far! Thank you again to all of you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. Please enjoy Chapter 50, and I will get the next chapter out to you folks as soon as possible.**

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Much to Bernard's relief, his wife and father-in-law both turned out to be right. After Jessie and he formally announced their pregnancy to the residents of the North Pole, everyone wanted to help. Judy, Abby and the rest of the kitchen promised both the stressed out Head Elf and his excited, expecting wife food whenever they wanted. They also promised Jess a healthy balanced diet including proper servings of all the food groups. Harper, the head of the recorded music department, began to shower Jess with CDs that the elves made for expecting mothers. She slipped a few of the best holiday tracks in there too. Curtis, who already knew a fair amount about Christmas, hit the research center to find everything he could pregnancy and babies. Perhaps the most involved though was Quintin. He volunteered himself and his entire department to help Bernard with the additions to their elf house.

"We can deck the whole place out with tech." Quintin animatedly explained. "motion activated baby monitors, satellite TV, separate rooms for Holly and Jolly..."

"Holly and Jolly?" Bernard repeated with raised eyebrows. The two of them were standing in the kitchen of the house in question, staring down the plans for the new house. Q looked up from his schematics sheepishly.

"Well you and Jessie haven't announced names yet. And the team and I wanted something to call them other than Baby One and Two..."

"We're here!" Jess called as she burst through the front door. She was accompanied by Lucy, who walked in holding her older sister's hand.

"Bernard!" Lucy called out cheerily as she ran towards her brother-in-law.

"Hey there, sis!" The Head Elf greeted, pulling her into a hug. Laura and Neil had sent Lucy to stay with her sister for the weekend so that the young couple could get some parent training. "Lucy, have you met my good friend Quintin?" The young girl shook her head.

"Quintin makes all kinds of stuff for us here at the North Pole." Jess told her sister. "And now she's going to help us make our house bigger so that we have rooms for our babies."

"That sounds like a lot of work." Lucy observed. She sat at one of the kitchen chairs and looked down at the blueprints. She tried to make sense of all the boxes, lines and descriptions that covered the plans, but they were difficult to read.

"Well it's not so confusing once you know how to read it." Her sister explained. "See each of these boxes is a room, and Quintin labeled each one so we can tell which room is which..." Jess's fingers danced across the schematics as she pointed out the rooms for her sister. "And you see these two rooms here, the ones that say H &amp; J?" Lucy nodded. "That's where the new babies will sleep."

"What does H&amp;J stand for?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Holly and Jolly." Jessie laughed. "They are nicknames that our friends have made up for the twins until Bernard and I name them."

"You knew about this?" Bernard raised his eyebrows once more.

"Yeah." Jess nodded."You may have noticed that we have yet to name our children, and the elves wanted something to call them, so I suggested Holly and Jolly. It's cute don't you think? Very Christmas-ish."

"But not very elfish." Bernard frowned.

"And what would you have us name them then?" Jess folded her arms across her chest. "Beatrice and Bartleby?"

"Those would be fine names for elves." The Head elf nodded.

"I'm not naming my kids Beatrice and Bartleby. I want them to have pretty Christmas names like Star as in a Christmas Star. Or Nicholas like St. Nicholas."

"You could name them after a family members." Quintin suggested, but after a death glare from his boss, he turned his attention back to the blueprints.

"Bernard, we still have plenty of time to decide. For now, I think Holly and Jolly are fine substitute names. Now I was going to take Lucy down to the theater to see a movie. Would you like to come with us?"

"I'd love to Jessie, but we really just got started here, and we were hoping to break some ground before that snowstorm next month." The Head Elf huffed.

"Okay, okay." She held her hands up in surrender. "After the movie, Lucy wants to spent some time with Dad, so maybe I'll swing by and check your progress?"

"Oh, Jessica, I hate to trouble you," Quintin called after her. "But if you could teach my team how to paint your signature snow colored camouflage sometime this week..."

"And give your team an edge over mine in the big upcoming snowball battle?" Jess scoffed. "I'll see what I can do. C'mon Luce, we'd better head out now if we don't want to miss the movie."

"She sure is something, that wife of yours." Quintin whistled as the sisters left the home.

"That she is." Bernard agreed. "But you know what Q," He said, clapping his friend on the back. "I wouldn't want her any other way. And I hope our kids grow up to be just like her."


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: New Chapter! :D Also Bernard and Jess have their new house! That's basically what this Chapter's about. I'm thinking one or two chapters before the twins are born and then we'll get into _The Escape Clause_ sometime after that. Personally, I'm looking forward to writing _The Escape Clause_, not really because it's my favorite Santa Clause, but because I'm excited for the challenge of writing something so different. **

**I'm sorry my updates have been taking so long, but *shrug* you know life and stuff. While you guys are waiting for updates from me, I highly suggest checking out checking out RandomMan5113's _The Story of Michael Calvin_. It's similar to this story (what with The Santa Clauses be like if Charlie had an older brother?) and it's a great story to read in between Jess &amp; Bernard updates!**

**For those of you who are sick of all my fluff and are wondering when I will get back to some real plot, firstly let me say I'm sorry this story dissolved into fluff, but it is all needed fluff and we will get back to a more rigid story soon! And secondly let me say, fluff is excellent and you know you love it! ;)**

**Thank you too SilverMistedDragon, Applejax XD, Sailor Sedna052, RandomMan5113, LightRayGirl, Alyssa. , &amp; Conanthebarbarian'sgirl for your reviews of Chapter 50. I can't wait to hear what you all think of this chapter! Also if there is any JessXBernard baby stuff you really want to see before _The Escape Clause _ please let me know in your reviews. I've also been thinking about maybe doing a side store full of Calvin, Miller &amp; Head Elf family one shots. Thoughts? As always please tell me in the reviews! Hope to hear from you all soon! **

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A very excited Quintin charged through the halls of the main building. He was carrying rolls of blueprints with him and nodding politely to other elves as they greeted him. The head R&amp;D elf had come inside to find Jessica. It was the final day of construction on the new house and he couldn't wait to show off all the team's hard work.

"Ah, there you are Jessie." The mother-to-be was chatting with Judy inside the busy kitchen. She was leaning against a counter munching away at carrot sticks.

"How's my house, Q?" She smiled when she spotted her friend. Five months had passed since Bernard and Quintin had first drawn up the plans for the house. Those five months passed like days for most elves, but for Jess Calvin each morning had brought some new decision for either the house or the twins; who still haven't been given official names.

"They're hammering the final nails in as we speak." Quintin announced proudly. "Santa and your husband asked me to escort you to the grand unveiling." Jessie snorted and began to rub circles across her stomach. She was six months into her pregnancy, and her baby bump was starting to show.

"Did my family decided that since they can actually see my pregnant stomach, I'm no longer qualified to walk outside alone?"

"In their defense," Quintin countered. "You did slip on the ice yesterday when you went to visit the reindeer. You would have fallen if it weren't for Curtis..."

"We all just want to make sure Holly and Jolly are safe." Judy interjected. The kitchen elf packed a candy cane striped tupperware container full of carrots and celery as she spoke. "Which reminds me, how much longer are you and Bernard going to keep us waiting for the twins real names?" Judy frowned and so did Jess.

"Well Judy, Bernard and I would have to agree on a name first." Jessie sighed. "Thanks for the veggies." She turned her frown upside down. "Come on Q, let's make sure Dad and my husband haven't destroyed my house without you there to guide them.

With help from Quintin; Jess trudged through the snow, without slipping or falling thank you very much. Most elf houses were only one or two rooms big, and the outsides were painted red or green. Jess and Bernard's original house was considered grand with three rooms and a bathroom. With all the additions that had been put on in preparation for the twins, the new house was practically an elfish castle. Jessie leaned her head on her husband's shoulder and admired their castle.

The outside of the house had been painted a shimmering silver that glistened against the North Pole's snow banks. The front door and the trim around the house was brilliant gold. Someone had hung a silver and gold wreath on the door, and wrapped silver garland around the railing of the front steps.

"Well come on," Scott waved them both inside. "You haven't seen the rest of it yet!" Walking carefully, but hand in hand, Jess and Bernard stepped into their new house together for the first time. while their home had been under construction the Head Elf and his wife had been sharing a guest room off of the workshop's main floor. It hadn't been the most ideal situation, but it was close to work, and the center of town.

What had once been a small sitting room full of Bernard's books had been transformed into an Entrance hall where the Head Elf could hang his prized collection of velvet hats and his wife and children could keep their coats. The Entrance Hall was also where the base of a new staircase sat. The kitchen looked almost exactly the same as it always had with the same peppermint striped wall paper and large picture window, but it had gained a few square feet. The construction team had managed to rig up a dishwasher and replaced the old fridge with a slightly larger white one. What had previously been Bernard and Jessica's bedroom was now a red and green decorated living room. A fifty inch TV had been squished against a wall, and every video game system imaginable had been connected to it. Another wall in the living room was covered corner to corner with video games, DVDs and BluRay discs. Somehow they had also managed to fit a couch and two reclining chairs into the room.

"We wanted your family to be able to visit you comfortably." Quintin explained. "We even raised the height of the ceilings considerably."

The tour continued as Scott led the way upstairs. These were the rooms he was most proud of since he had a lot of say in designing the twins new bedrooms. For "Holly" they had chosen a Sugar Plum Princess theme. Everything was pink and covered in tool with ballerina's and handsome a Nutcracker just like in the play Scott had taken his own daughter to see when she was very young. For "Jolly" they had chosen a blue, white and silver theme. Most of the decorations on his walls were snowflakes, but a giant photograph of a polar bear hung over his crib. There was also a bedroom upstairs for Bernard and Jess. A second bathroom had been added upstairs as well. But the room that everyone had been most excited to show off, had been kept a secret from both the Head Elf and his wife. Scott and Quintin had worked the hardest trying to make this room perfect, so with baited breath they swung open the final door on the second level.

Inside was an office with wall to wall bookshelves. Some of the book shelves were full of Bernard's books, some Jess', some of the book shelves had things Bernard would need for work and some of them had arts and crafts supplies for Jessie. A large ceiling to floor window had been installed and in front of it sat the easel Bernard had purchased years ago. in the middle of the room there was a desk and chair exactly like the one the Head Elf had in his workshop office.

"We thought that since you're going to have kids now and all, you two are going to be doing a lot of work from home."Scott said. "And we all wanted to make sure you had a perfect place to do all of that."

It was clear that a lot of time, work, effort and love had gone into constructing the one of a kind home. Not only had the team made sure there was plenty of room for the growing family, they had also added in lots of convenient modern technology that most elves didn't have. Like motion activated baby monitors, satellite television, wireless internet, and a small washer and dryer in the downstairs bathroom. It might have been overwhelming at first knowing that they were about to become parents, but with a new house that seemed equipped for every situation; both Bernard and Jessie couldn't have felt more confident in the life changing experience they were about to embark on.


	52. Chapter 52

**A/n: Hey guys, I'm just here to throw another chapter at you. It's the official announcement of the JessXBernard baby names! Thank you to Flowerchild23 for your review of Chapter 51, and with this very brief message, I present to you all Chapter 52! Enjoy, and please continue to read, review, favorite and follow.**

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"What's this meeting about?"

"I'm not sure, Curtis said it was mandatory..." It was six months before Jess and Bernard's twin babies were scheduled to arrive. The elves of the North Pole had been called to meet around the main workshop floor. It hadn't taken long for the vast population to finish their current task and gather at the base of the main staircase. At the top of the stairs Carol, Scott, Curtis, and Bernard each stood, waiting to give their individual reports. Jess was off to one side with the other department heads taking a head count and making sure all members of her paint team were present at the meeting. Once all the elves were accounted for, Scott addressed the crowd.

"Good afternoon everyone." He greeted. "Listen, I'm sorry to drag you all away from your work. I know most of you are just getting back from your vacations and that your trying to get back into the swing of things, but the busy season is almost upon us. So that means, as I'm sure many of you have guessed by now, It's time for our annual holiday meeting. Normally this is the part where I turn things over to Bernard, but he's asked to got last this year...so Carol, I guess this is your opportunity..."

"Uh, hi. Hello!" Carol gave a shy wave. "I just wanted to say now that the school has re-opened, it will be open year round. So please send your kids, or if there's something _you_ want to learn come see me! I'm more than happy to help with research. And as Christmas gets closer, please don't be afraid to ask me for help. With anything really." After her very short speech Carol took a step back. The floor was then open to all department heads for annual progress reports. At last it was Bernard's turn to speak up.

The Head Elf started off with his usual pre-Christmas speech. He talked about how every elf at the North Pole was essential to Christmas preparations. Without individual toy departments, painters would have nothing to paint. Without kitchen elves no one would be able to eat. The lecture spanned on and on as Bernard continued to speak of each department's importance. He then listed off some of the new toys that would be manufactured that year and reminded the department heads that there would be a follow up meeting for them once the main meeting concluded.

"And lastly," Bernard sighed, looking up from the sheets of parchment gripped between his hands. "If you all will permit me, I'd like to address some personal business as well." He now held the stack of parchment at his side, deciding to speak candidly, something he'd never done before. "Not only are we about to begin our busiest season of the year but my own family is expanding. And so that means my time will be all the more valuable. So I've decided to enact a long forgotten rule from the Christmas Handbook. A murmur rumbled through the elf population as everyone began to worry what outdated rule Bernard had decided to bring back.

"Now, now, there's no need to panic." He assured. "We all know the Head Elf is in charge of the day-to-day operations here at the North Pole. But even a Head Elf needs help once in awhile." At this the elves chuckled. In the hundreds of years Bernard had been in charge, he had never once asked anyone for help. "According to the Christmas Handbook, the Head Elf is allowed to select a temporary Co-Head Elf should he/she feel assistance is required. This Co-Head Elf will share my responsibilities until midnight on Christmas Day. They will be my eyes and ears when I'm unavailable. When you have questions or issues you will be able to go to my Co-Head Elf for assistance. So, pending Santa's approval, I've selected Curtis to be my Co-Head Elf."

"Me?" Curtis mouthed in shock. It was clear to everyone else that Bernard had not discussed this with Curtis beforehand. _Co-Head Elf_. Of course Curtis had been waiting for an opportunity like this since he was a baby elf, but could he really handle all of the pressure?

"I think that's a great idea, Bernard." Scott agreed immediately. He clapped one hand on Curtis' shoulder and the other on his son-in-law. "What do you say Curtis? You must be itching for a chance to be in charge." Curtis couldn't help himself, the opportunity was just took exciting and the number two elf began to grin uncontrollably. Bernard could have named any elf at the pole to be his Co-Head Elf, including his wife, yet he had trusted the title to Curtis.

"I accept. Thank you so much for the opportunity." He nodded with a wide smile.

"Don't mention it." Bernard waved him off. "Let's just keep the reindeer in the stables alright?" An echo of chuckles wrapped around the room. "I have just one last thing to add and then you all may return to your regularly scheduled work day. For this announcement I require some help from my beautiful wife, Jessica?" Gripping the railing of the main staircase, Jess joined her family at the top. She looped an arm around one of Bernard's and smiled.

"So everyone's been asking Bernard and I, '_What are you going to name the babies?'_ and '_How soon before we have official names for Holly and Jolly?'_ Well, I'm pleased to announce my husband and I have finally gotten around to naming our twins. Our baby girl will be named Noel Holly Calvin. Noel as in Christmas, and Holly well since that's what we've been calling her anyhow." Almost immediately claps, whoops and nods of approval erupted from the elves down below. Sure some of them had been hoping for a more traditional elf name, but they had to admit that Noel Holly had such a pretty sound to it.

"And our son," Bernard began once the noise and chatter started to die down. "Will be named Nicholas Charles. Nicholas for St. Nick and Charles both from Charles Dickens and Jess' brother Charlie." Another set of approving noises followed the announcement of the second twin's name. Bernard let the crowd celebrate the name announcements and Curtis' new position before dispersing them back to work.

"All right everyone, busy season is just getting started, so let's get out there and get as far ahead of our projected production time as possible. My department Heads, please meet Curtis and myself in my office in twenty minutes, everyone else please return to your work. It's going to be a Holly, Jolly Christmas this year." The Head Elf smirked at his own joke before walking off to his office without another word.


	53. Chapter 53

**A/n: Thank you so much to SummerMistedDRagon, RandomMan5113, alyssa. , obsessive360, dream lightning, &amp; Bitterswee for your reviews of Chapter 52! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out, holiday preparations and other such craziness. **

**This will be the last Chapter before the twins are born! (Yay!) And just so you guys know where we stand now, I'm hoping to at least start, if not finish The Santa Clause 3 before Christmas Day, being as that's only a week or so away, who knows if that will actually happen. But I'd really like to thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and your support. It means so much to me, so thank you! Please continue reading, reviewing, favorting and following! Oh and enjoy Chapter 53!**

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Jess sighed heavily as she stared down at the large doll house taking up space at her workstation. She was suppose to be painting delicate shingles on the roof of the house, but the babies residing in her abdomen had decided now was the perfect time to start kicking.

"You guys are making it impossible to paint a straight line." Their mother complained. She rubbed circles around her stomach while staring disappointedly at the doll house. Now ten months into her pregnancy, Jessie was trying her best to stay ahead of her scheduled progress. December was fast approaching and she was still trying to get as much work accomplished as possible before Noel and Nicholas were born.

"You'll never have all your work finished by Christmas." Bernard frowned. He had materialized from seemingly nowhere behind his wife.

"I know I'm not going to finish it _all_." Jess sighed again. "But I have to get as much done as possible."

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say you'll never have all your work finished by Christmas without help."

"Help?" Jess snorted. "I know for a fact that no single department has elves to spare. So who is going to help me? You?" She chuckled. Bernard would sooner cut off one of his hands then paint the same house for several hours. Sure he strived for perfection, but painting just didn't hold any interest to him; and his wife knew that.

"Well not exactly me, but Curtis." _Curtis? _The painter elf repeated in her head. Well the idea had potential. Curtis had an incredible eye for detail. He did a lot of tedious work around the Pole so he clearly had the patience for the job. Add in his ever present need to impress Bernard and it just might have been a formula for success. Besides that ever growing stomach of hers was making it increasingly difficult for Jess to get close enough to her work.

"Alright." She nodded. "Send him over. He can finish this house, and I'll start on the next one."

"Don't you think you should, I don't know, take a break?" Bernard frowned.

"A break?" She laughed. "This coming from the man who used to sleep in his office?"

"No, that was different." Bernard countered. "I was living alone back then. I'm going to send Curtis over." He explained. "When he gets here, meet me in my office, please. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." Fifteen minutes later, Curtis arrived at the Paint Center wearing an apron with a pocket full of paintbrushes. Jess gave him brief but detailed instructions before walking up to her husband's office.

"You're not going to like this," Bernard huffed when his wife entered the room. "But I think you should seriously consider taking the rest of the year off..."

"Where is this coming from?" Jess questioned. She sat in the nearest chair and tried to talk some sense into the man sitting across the desk. "Christmas is two months away, we can't afford for me to take off this early."

"Jessie you're department is a whole month ahead of everyone else! Listen I've already discussed this with your father and we think..."

"Oh so you and my dad are all of a sudden best friends?" She smirked. She then leaned back in her chair and considered the idea.

"I can make it an official order as your boss if I have to." Her husband said reaching for the proper forms.

"After nine years I knew the 'I'm your boss' card would be played at some point." Jess reminded Bernard so much of her father when she tossed out quips like that. But also like Scott, she didn't seem angry when she used her dry humor. If anything she was buying herself some time to think.

"Well," She exhaled, getting to her feet. "I guess I'm going home. See, my boss just laid me off from my job. That will be an interesting conversation tonight over dinner with my husband."

"Maybe he'll soften the blow by cooking you're favorite, chicken cacciatore, for dinner." Her husband suggested.

"We'll see." She smirked before leaving the office. _What to do now?_ She thought to herself. For the first time since she'd come to the Pole, Jess didn't have anything to do. No Christmas to save, no arguments to be fought, and no work whatsoever. Finding herself feeling lost and not really wanting to go home, she wondered the halls of the main workshop. There were plenty of recreational activities at the North Pole that Jess was usually too busy to participate in. There was an ice skating rink, a movie theater, and a swimming pool somewhere...

Hoping her wayward wanderings would lead to something interesting, she tried to keep an open mind as she stepped out into the snow. Before she knew it, Jessica Calvin was standing at the front doors of the North Pole School house. The school of course where her step-mother now worked. _I'm here now._ She shrugged. _Might as well go in._ Slowly wandering the unfamiliar halls, Jess eventually found Carol's office and knocked timidly. The door opened slowly and Carol smiled when she spotted her guest.

"Jessica, is everything alright?" Mrs. Claus asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah." Her step daughter nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry I don't come around for visits more often." She apologized as she stepped into the office.

"You've been busy." Carol waved her off. "I understand it's hard for you and Bernard especially with babies on the way. It's a wonder you two are able to get so much done."

"We have a lot of help. Especially from you and Dad." Jess smiled. "It's nice to see him happy again. He was never the same after his divorce with Mom. Charlie wasn't much older than three when our parents split and soon after Neil entered the picture we saw them less and less. Sure Dad and I had each other, but there was always this...loneliness, something missing. With our family torn apart we ourselves didn't feel whole anymore. Now me, I was fine with that; I had this whole rebel teen vibe going for me, but Dad...When Bernard and Curtis told him that he had to get married he was horrified. I was worried for him. How could a_ normal_ man find a wife in a month, let alone my sarcastic lone wolf of a father? " Carol laughed. That was sort of the first impression she gotten of Scott.

"But then Toy Santa took over the North Pole." Jess continued to explained. "I thought for sure it was all over. There was no way Dad could deliver the gifts, get married and save Christmas all in time. But then Charlie told me about how Dad had fallen in love with his principal. So we raced off to meet her. And Carol, when I met you I just knew. I knew that we had to make you believe. So I guess I came here to say, thank you. Thank you for loving my Dad as much as I know he loves you. And I'm sorry it's taken me so long to say it."

"Well, really I should be thanking you, and Charlie." Carol smiled. "If it weren't for the two of you, I wouldn't be here now. Thank you for sharing your family with me. And thank you for believing in me, even when I couldn't."

After their talk, Carol and Jess were closer than ever, especially now that the later had so much more free time. Jess would visit Carol at school and even help the elf students with their art projects. In return Carol went with her step daughter to her doctor's visits and final preparations for the twins. Occasionally Jess would poke her head into the Workshop to check on her department, only to have Curtis or Bernard shooing her out. When Carol wasn't available, Jess learned to occupy herself. She would paint glorious canvases in the study of her new house or she would lounge in bed watching movies and eating Carmel coated popcorn. At long Last it was December 22nd, the day the twins were born.


	54. Chapter 54

**a/n: They're here! Nicholas and Noel are finally here! I don't really have much to say today other than I hope that you all enjoy, and of course thank you! So thank you to DevilSurvivor, Applejax XD, SummerMistedDragon, RandomMan5113, FlowerChild23, &amp; Madeline Tonks for your reviews of Chapter 53! **

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December 22nd started off the same as every other day at the North Pole, busy. The elves were in a mad dash to ensure all the final preparations had been made for the big day. The reindeer had been trained and reminded of their route. Comet of course made sure there was an ample supply of rope in case Scott fell off the roof. Which given his years of experience, was incredibly unlikely. Curtis had managed to perform his task as Assistant Head Elf as well as complete all of the paint department's work on time.

"Curtis, I can't believe you got everything done on time!" Jess laughed as she came by her department for one final Pre-Christmas visit.

"Jessica, I'm hurt." Curtis gasped. "I was an elf nine hundred years before you were even born and in that time, I took a painting class or two."

"You're right, you're right." She said holding her hands up in surrender. "And all joking aside, I really do want to thank you so much for your help Curtis. So, I thought I would bring you a thank you gift." Jess held out a small peppermint striped package, which he took carefully from her. Inside, was a delicately carved crystal paintbrush ornament. The ornament twinkled and shimmered as the lights inside the workshop bounced off it. "You're officially one of us now. Thank you again for your...AH...OUCH..."

"Jessie? Are you alright?"

"Doctor." She managed to gasp. "I need the Doctor Curtis, it's time."

"It's time? Oh." Curtis nodded before yelling out into the workshop. "IT'S TIME!"

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"Hey Bernard, relax!" Scott commanded as he and Carol joined their son-in-law outside of the doctor's office. While Jess laid in the delivery room, her husband paced nervously in the snow. "You look like you're about to upchuck, buddy."

"Oh Scott, don't tease him!" Carol defended the elf. "Bernard, why don't you take a seat, this could take hours."

"Hours?" Bernard's voice cracked in panic. Scott and Carol exchanged concerned look.

"Say, I promised Neil and Laura I'd go get them when it came time. I'm thinking I'll go make a quick stop in Chicago and be back before the kids arrive." Scott suggested. "Why don't you come with me, Bernard?"

"Come with? What if I miss something?" The Head Elf worried.

"I don't think there's much to miss buddy. Come on. You're not going to help anybody by waiting around digging holes in the snow."

Bernard looked from his father-in-law to the door of the doctor's office and back. Jess would be crushed if he missed the birth of their children. On the other hand the Head Elf had a working mind. He needed to be doing something, the pacing, the waiting; it was painful. In the end Bernard did decide to go with Scott to pick up Neil, Laura, Charlie and Lucy. The whole sleigh ride back to the North Pole the family was rapid firing questions at Scott and the father-to-be. How was Jess doing? How many hours had it been already? Bernard was beginning to wonder if it would have been less tiring pacing his way up and down that snow bank by the door.

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Nicolas Charles Calvin was born at 5:36 pm and his sister Noel Holly was born almost a full two hours later at 7:31pm. Noel was swaddled in a red blanket and she was perfectly content snuggling inside of that blanket. Nicolas on the other hand, was just like his father, he was using what small energy he could muster to try and wriggle out of his green swaddle blanket. Jess was sat up in her room, with a baby tucked safely in each arm.

"They're so little!" Lucy remarked when she spotted her niece and nephew for the first time.

"That's your Aunt Lucy." Jess whispered to her infant children. "And that's your Uncle Charlie." She nodded at her younger brother. "And all your grandparents are here too. Grandpa Scott and Grandma Carol, They both have very important jobs here at the North Pole. You'll find out why when you're older. And There's you're Nana Laura, and that guy in the bright ugly sweater is Neil." She teased which caused everyone, even her stepfather, to chuckle. "You can just call him Gramps. But of course the person you've been waiting the longest to meet, your Dad." Inhaling deeply, Bernard crouched down at the side of the bed. He wrapped one arm around his little family and smiled.

"I've got it from here." He told his wife with confidence. "Nick, Noel, hi." He sighed dreamily. "Wow, I guess Santa was right, you both do look like aliens." Again everyone laughed. "That was a joke because I'm uncomfortable, it's a quirk of mine, you'll learn to love it." He chuckled to himself. "But on a more serious note, it's no secret that Christmas was always my number one priority. Then one Christmas, I met the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was smart and creative and she had the most beautiful laugh, like the jingle of the bells on Santa's sleigh. I fell in love with that woman, and we got married. Which brings us to today. December 22, 2003, your birthday. So I promise you today on your first birthday, that you and your mother will _always_ be my number one priority." All three moms in the room started cooing at this. It was the softest side of Bernard any of them had seen and if Scott didn't know any better he'd swear that Bernard himself was tearing up.

After the emotionally charged moment the twins were passed around the family like cuddly little footballs. Charlie taught Lucy how to hold a baby just like he had learned to hold her when she was born. Carol and Laura oohed and Ahhed and talked about how much the babies looked like Jess and Bernard. But neither new mother nor father could see the resemblance just yet. Whenever it was Scott's turn to hold Nick or Noel he would chuckle with a big Ho-ho-ho before launching into one story or another about his own kids being born. As usual Neil didn't say much, but Jess was glad to have her step-father's calm presences there to balance out the chaos and high energy of the rest of the family. The girl who never thought she would have a real family, found herself in a room surrounded by people who love her and each other more than anything else in the whole world.


	55. Chapter 55

**A/n: Chapter 55 you guys! Its a lot of Christmas fluff, and this will probably be the last fluff chapter for a while. Chapter 56 forward will be set up for The Santa Clause 3: Escape Clause. So please enjoy the last of our fluff (for awhile!) As always thank you too Applejax XD, SummerMistedDragon, RandomMan5113, Snowflake2410 (Thanks for the teddies BTW, I'll pass them along for you!) Jessenia22, Alyssa.t. kraft, &amp; Obsessive360 for your reviews of Chapter 54. And I seriously mean thank you so much for your continued support, even to those of you who don't leave reviews. It's truly amazing to me that so many of you take time out of your day to read this story! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favorting, and following! Your support really is appreciated! **

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Christmas morning 2003 found Santa Claus leaning back in an arm chair with his two favorite grandchildren snoozing in his lap. Of course it was easy to be his favorites when they were his _only_ grandkids. They were only three days old but Nick and Noel had were already developing their own personalities. Like his father, Nicholas was fidgety, restless, and he hated to be left alone. Noel on the other hand could sleep through the worst of blizzards and she loved being snuggled up in someone's arms.

"You're going to spoil them." Jess sighed as she entered the room, a platter of baked goods in her hands.

"Spoil them?" Scott laughed as his daughter set down the tray. "And why shouldn't I? Come on, that's what Grandfathers do!"

"Well for starters spoiling your children can lead to sever abandonment complexes when they are older…" Neil started to explain.

"Dr. Miller, I'm not sure we could avoid spoiling our children even if we wanted to." Bernard sighed from the couch he'd been sitting at. "The elves will just do it for us. Quintin filled our house with all kinds of expensive gadgets, Judy's already knit them a drawer full of hats..." The Head Elf sighed again. "I dare not ask Curtis what sort of 'surprises' he's been working on."

"Curtis did a great job helping us this year, you should give him some credit." His wife scolded. Bernard nodded in agreement.

"You're right. But It's just what Curtis and I do. He goes out of his way to impress me and I get annoyed by him. He's like the little brother I never had."

"It's not too late to return your presents." Charlie joked as he and Lucy now entered the room. Fittingly both brother and sister were carrying a stack of presents. "I got gift receipts for everything!"

"I said he was like the brother I never had, not the one I do." Bernard explained, now flustered.

"Oh so you can tease but you can't dish it out?" Scott chuckled. His laugher jostled the babies in his lap, which immediately made Nicholas start to whine.

"Why don't you give Nana a chance to hold him?" Laura suggested before scooping her grandson up from her Ex-Husband's lap.

"Hey!" Scott complained. "Who said you could pilfer my baby?"

"They're not your babies!" Laura laughed. "And you'll have plenty of time to spend with them. Whereas Neil and I will only be able to see them during visits."

"You know what, it's fine." Scott huffed. "Noel and I will just stay here and cuddle in our favorite chair."

"I think you guys had held my kids longer than _I_ have." Jess complained.

"Don't fight them!" Bernard interrupted. "Come 3am we will be very glad your parents tired out our children."

"Can we open presents now?" Lucy asked one she and Charlie had stacked the last of the gifts in Jess and Bernard's living room.

"Yes." Jessie jumped to her feet. "And since Christmas is at our house this year, I get to play Santa. Luce, Charlie, have a seat." After her younger brother and sister were seated, Jess started to dig into the pile of presents and pass them out to their respective receivers. As the gifts were being opened the Millers and the Calvins talk about some of the best, and worst gifts they'd ever received.

"The best thing I ever got from Bernard was that climbing gear!" Charlie announced enthusiastically. "I use it all the time..."

"Do you break into the High Schools of other towns and fix their principals up with your friend's single parents?" Carol questioned sarcastically. "Or was it just me you graced that honor with?" Charlie looked down at his shoes sheepishly. "And you," Carol pointed to Bernard accusingly. "Expert level climbing gear for a sixteen year old?"

"What else would you get for the son of Santa?" Bernard shrugged. "He's had practically every toy or game system he's ever wanted since he was eight." Charlie wanted to defend his brother-in-law but her honest didn't have any defense.

"Well Dad," Jess interjected, changing the subject as she found a present addressed to the big guy himself. "This present is from Neil and I both. Though technically it was from Mom originally."

"Oh boy!" Scott rubbed his together sourly. "A present from Neil? Is it a glow in the dark sweater?" Everyone laughed, but Neil and Jess laughed the loudest. Scott didn't know how to react when he opened his gift to reveal an actual sweater. "You...actually...got...me a sweater?"

"Does that sweater look familiar to you at all?" Jessie probed.

"I don't own that many sweaters Jess." Scott reminded her. "Most of the time I just wear my red suit.

"Yes," Jess nodded "but _sometimes_ you go visit mom and Neil and _sometimes_ you borrow Neil's sweaters..."

"And on one particular night you borrowed my sweater and took Carol to a Christmas party." Neil concluded.

"That's the sweater from our first date?" Carol questioned excitedly. She leaned over her husband's shoulder to give the garment a closer inspection. Sure enough she remembered the sweater from the night of the faculty Christmas party. It was a green cable knit sweater. "I remember, because it seemed so tame compared to the other sweaters you'd shown up at the school with."

"Well now that you know Neil, you know why." Scott smiled. "This was really thoughtful Neil, Jessie, thank you."

Shortly after presents were open, Noel and Nicholas were tucked into their beds for an afternoon nap. The rest of the family had shared a feast of glazed ham, bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots and other favorite holiday foods. After dinner Neil, Laura, Lucy and Charlie returned to their home Chicago with promises to visit again soon. Once of the rest of the family had arrived safely home, Carol and Scott returned to the main workshop building to enjoy the last of their vacation day. By the time the day was over, Jess and Bernard were completely exhausted. They had survived their first Christmas as parents and hosted their first Christmas party. It the end, all of their hard work from the year seemed to feel worth it.


	56. Chapter 56

**A/n: I've been listening to a lot of Adele, and I'm sorry that you guys have to suffer for it. This is a very emotional chapter so consider yourselves warned. This is something that I've been toying with for awhile and it's something that I just _had _to do. So please enjoy Chapter 56 and know that I'm very sorry that I've had to do this. As always thanks to Madeline Tonks, alyssa. , RandomMan5113, &amp; Applejax XD for your reviews of Chapter 55!**

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"Bernard, come down from there!" Jess woke up one morning, in early May of 2004, to the sounds of her father shouting at her husband. Still dressed in her flannel pajamas she pulled on a pair of winter boots and went outside.

"Daddy, what's going on? You're going to wake up the kids." She warned, joining him on the side of the house.

"Don't yell at me!" Scott held his hands up defensively. "That idiot husband of yours climbed on your roof to change the bulbs on some of your Christmas lights. I'm trying to get him to come back down."

"Don't worry Santa!" Bernard called down to from his spot on the roof. Jessie squinted upwards to see her husband straddling the roof, a string of lights in one hand and a pack of spare bulbs in the other. "If I fall off the roof, you can always put on my suit and become Head Elf!"

"Haha!" Scott snarled. "Very funny! Come on now, get down here before you fall and break your neck! Why don't you let me do that?"

"Dad," Jess put a hand on her father's shoulder. "He does this every year."

"What? Climbs on the roof for no reason?"

"No, not usually. But every year during the slow season he starts inventing things that have to be done around the house. Of course now we've got the new house so there's nothing wrong with it, I'm guess he's decided to change the bulbs on the lights that are less than a year old, because he's bored."

"So what? You're saying we should leave him like this?" Scott demanded gesturing up at the roof again.

"No." His daughter sighed. "I guess we can't do that, he really might hurt himself. Bernard! Get down here!"

"Fine." Bernard frowned looking like a petulant child. "I'm coming down!" He huffed before crawling across the roof towards the ladder. Scott and Jess watched from below as the Head Elf gripped the first rung of the ladder and began his descent. But there was nothing they could do as his foot slipped off the second rung and he lost his hold.

"Bernard!" His wife shrieked as he tumbled down into a snow bank. Together she and Scott rushed to his side. "Dad! Call the doctor!" Scott nodded before running off to get Dr. Hismus. Bernard wasn't moving, he wasn't making any noise either. But Jess noticed he was breathing. Thanks to the frigid air that surrounded the North Pole, she could make out the warm puffs of air as her husband exhaled weakly.

"What were you doing on the roof you idiot?" She groaned as tears began to fill up her eyes.

Everything happened so fast after that. Scott returned with Dr. Hismus and a team of medical Elves. Bernard was loaded carefully on to a stretcher and wheeled over to the sick bay in the main workshop. Carol volunteered to stay with the kids as Curtis and Scott escorted Jessica to the Sick Bay. Once there, they were told it was too soon to know the extent of Bernard's injuries. He would have to be observed for several hours before they would know anything definitive. Out of respect for privacy the doctors decided that only immediate family should be allowed to visit, which mean Curtis was kicked out.

"We'll let you know of anything changes." Scott told his number two as he walked him out of the sick bay.

"Bernard's never been sick before." Curtis frowned. "He's never so much as sneezed! He's always so careful. I don't know what we'd do if…"

"Hey," Santa put a hand of each of his elf's shoulders. "We can't afford to think like that. Curtis, you know better than anyone how important the power of belief is. You can't think about what if something bad happens."

"Sorry Santa." The number two elf looked down at his shoes in embarrassment.

"Listen, I know this isn't easy." Scott sighed. "Neither of my kids have ever been hurt this badly before either. Jess broken her leg once trying to sneak into the house after prom, but that's it. Never any concussions, car accidents, nothing. But we have to try our best to be there for Jess and Bernard. In the meantime, why don't you call a meeting of all the Department Heads and let them know what's happened?"

"Oh kay." Curtis sighed. He really didn't like leaving his best friend's side, but if the doctor wouldn't let him in, the number two elf supposed he ought to be useful somewhere else."Promise you'll tell me if anything changes?"

"Santa's honor." Scott nodded. He put a right hand over his heart to show that he truly meant it. With a fleeting glance at the doors to the Sick Bay, Curtis ran off to call for the necessary meeting. Scott stood outside of the Sick Bay for a few more minutes, trying to make sense of his jumbled thoughts. When he realized he wouldn't be making any sense out of his buzzing head, he decided to go back in and sit by his daughter's side.

Bernard laid in a medical bed with his eye closed. The elf could have just as easily been sleeping at home if it weren't for all the machines and wires he'd been hooked up to. But he was breathing on his own, Scott noticed, that was a good sign. Jess was sitting in a chair that she had pulled as close up to Bernard as the hospital furniture would allow. One of her hands was resting on top of her husband's and the other was fiddling with ringlets of brown hair they rested against his face.

"He's going to be all right isn't he, Dad?" Jess asked. She looked up at her father with watery eyes. Scott looked down at his daughter unable to speak. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be alright, that Bernard would wake up any second. But the worlds got caught in his throat. He and Jessie had always had an unspoken promise that they would never lie to each other, no matter what. From the time she was a young girl it had always been the two of them against the world. As she got older she started taking care of herself more, she needed him less and less. Then she got married and Bernard became the center of her world. So how do you explain to your daughter that the center of her whole world might not wake up ever again? Scott couldn't bring himself to do it. He place a comforting hand on Jess' shoulder and tried to think of the right thing to say.

"All we can do now, is wait Jessie." He managed to choke out. For once he wished Neil or Laura were here. They would know what the right thing to do or say would be. And for a brief moment Scott did consider calling his ex-wife and have her pop up to the North Pole as soon as possible, but Laura was also a worrier. It might not help to have her nervous energy up at the Pole with so much uncertainty still lingering in the air. So he decided to wait for more information before making the long phone call to the Millers.


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N: So I wrote this chapter immediately after 56 last, but I decided to wait a whole day before posting it for added drama. Sorry guys! And if you want to know Bernard's fate, I guess you'll just have to read and find out ;) Thank you to RandomMan5113, deamlightning, SummerMisted Dragon, Flowerchild23, alyssa. and the two guest for taking time out of your day to review Chapter 56! **

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Four hours later Carol found Jess sleeping with her head on her husband's arm. _Poor thing._ Carol frowned from the doorway. They were such a young couple with so much ahead of them. Surely the universe wouldn't pull them apart like this, not now. Jess and Bernard had both been such a big help when Carol first married Scott. For starters not only had her step-daughter helped convince her to make the big move in the first place, she had been so accommodating when it came to adjusting from Chicago life style to the life at the Pole. Having experienced the change herself, Jess knew all the things that made Carol homesick and she had quick remedies for most of them. Bernard had also been great at teaching the Mrs. Claus what would be expected of her in her new role. He had taught her tricks to remember most of the elves names and even given her a very detailed map of the North Pole in case she ever happened to wonder out of the main Town Square. All of that aside, these two were her family now and she had come to love the pair like her own son and daughter.

Only one year into being a mother Carol certainly hadn't expected a tragedy like this. Curtis, Abby, Quintin, Judy and some of the other elves that were closest to the family had assigned themselves a rotation to stand guard by the Sick Bay door in case news or a development occurred. No one really knew what to do or how to react. The others also backed up Curtis' claim that Bernard had never been sick in his whole career let alone seriously injured. Scott and Carol went back and forth on whether Laura and Neil should be called. In the end they decided to leave it up to Jessica, which was why Carol had come to the Sick Bay in the first place.

Scott had returned to Jess and Bernard's house soon after his daughter fell asleep. She had stubbornly refused to eat anything or leave her husband's side, so Scott promised that he and Carol would take care of the kids. He waited till she drifted off before seeking advice from his wife. Carol then reminded him that Dr. Hismus may have some news about Bernard's condition in a few hours so they should just let Jess sleep.

It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon when the Doctor called Scott and Carol saying he in fact had some news. So Carol asked the doctor to give her a few minutes head start to rouse her step-daughter before meeting them all at the Clinic to go over the results. That's why Carol found herself leaning on the doorframe, frowning sympathetically at her family. She wished so badly that she could just let Jessica sleep. There would be no bad test results in her dreams, no more tragedy, no husbands falling off of roofs. Of course there were no good test results in Jess' dreams either. There would be no way for Bernard to get better if they didn't at least find out what was wrong with him first. So Carol made her way to her step-daughter and gently shook her away.

"Hmmm?" Jess grumbled as she blinked her eyes open.

"Jessica, the doctor's going to be in soon to go over Bernard's test results. We figured you'd want to be awake." Carol explained softly.

"Mmmm yeah." Jess agreed softly as she rubbed her sore neck. "Where are my kids?" She asked once she'd become more alert.

"Judy wanted to stay with them." Carol explained.

"That's good." Jess nodded. "They like Judy."

"Ah good, Miss Jessica you're awake!" Dr. Hismus noted cheerily as he entered the room with Santa.

"Hey Princess." Scott greeted his daughter as he joined she and Carol by the bedside.

"Don't look so glum everyone." The doctor commanded as he started hanging X-rays on an unlit board that hung on the wall. "These test results are not nearly as grim as you fear." With that bold statement Dr. Hismus flicked a switch and the X-rays were illuminated. "I feel pretty confident in say that none of Mr. Bernard's injuries are life threatening." Carol, Scott and Jess each breathed sighs of relief. This was the result they were hoping for, but not expecting.

"Unfortunately, he is still in a great deal of pain, which is probably why he hasn't awoken since his fall. As you'll notice here," The doctor pointed to a bone near the shoulder on Bernard's X-Ray. "Bernard sustained a clavicle fracture, mostly likely he tried to brace himself on his should when he fell out in the snow. We can fix that with a simply sling. Now he's also fractured three of his ribs. As I said though, this is not life threatening, and none of the breaks endanger his lungs in any way."

"So he's going to be fine?" Scott questioned.

"Don't get me wrong Santa, Bernard is going to be in a lot of pain. I will have to set his arm for the sling which will hurt a great deal. And those ribs will not be fun for him to repair either. He also suffered a minor concussion from the fall. It is going to be a painful recovery. But as I said, I'm confident our Head Elf will survive." Dr. Hismus concluded his diagnosis.

"He's going to be..." Happy tears began to spill out and Jess couldn't control them any longer. Bernard wasn't going to die. He was going to be just fine. "Oh thank you Doc!" She wept before flinging her arms around the Dr. Hismus' neck. This set off a chain reaction as both Carol and Scott began to tear up themselves.

Several tearful minutes later, everyone's eyes were dried. Scott and Carol left so that the doctor could perform all task necessary to start Bernard's healing. The Doctor assured his patient's wife that Bernard would most likely "wake up" After a few more hours; once the pain in his head and clavicle reduced. Still she insisted she would not leave his side until her husband's eyes were open. This meant it was up to Carol and Scott to pass the good news along to everyone else.


	58. Chapter 58

**A/n: New Chapter for you guys yay! I'm very sorry for leaving you hanging like that, you know I'd never kill off Bernard! That being said I did need to come up with a reason for him to not be Head Elf during Escape Clause, but I don't think you are going to like it...just know that these dramatic chapters are some of the more painful ones to write and I can't wait until we all get to have fun again! I'm sorry I have to torture everyone so much, but please know I really appreciate your continued support! Thank you to SailorSedna052, snowflake2410, dream lighting, Flowerchild23, RandomMan5113, SummerMistedDragon &amp; Guest for your reviews of Chapter 57! Please enjoy (as much as possible) Chapter 58!**

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Two days later the North Pole's Head elf was still laying unawake in his bed at the Sick Bay. Jess, who had been forced to rest, change and shower by her friends and family; had taken her infant children back with her to the Sick Bay. True to his slowly forming character Nick was squirmy and started to cry. That's when Curtis slipped into Sick Bay.

"Good afternoon, Jessica." He gulped. Since Bernard had become unconscious it had taken a lot of effort for Curtis to get himself into the Sick Bay. Aside from the fact that medical equipment had always made the elf feel uneasy, he struggled emotionally to see his best friend laying in bed practically lifeless. On the other hand, was comforting to see Nicholas and Noel with their mother. The twins represented hope. If they could be brought out into this world, then maybe hope and belief could pull their father back into it.

"Oh hey, Curtis." Jess nodded at her friend while holding her struggling son in her arms.

"Let me help!" Curtis insisted. He held out his arms as Jess gently place Nick in his arms. "He likes it if you sing Christmas carols to him you know. _Jingle bells_ is his favorite. Dashing through the snow..."

"In a one horse open sleigh..." The young mother joined in. It seemed fitting to her that her son's favorite song was also his father's. "Over the fields we go, laughing all the way..." While the two friends continued singing, Jess scooped up her daughter and nestled her under her chin. The moment almost felt normal. As the carol continued, she imagined that Bernard wasn't sick that instead the three of them were relaxing at home signing to the sleeping twins.

"Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh..." As the song neared its end, Jess found herself sighing. "He would hate that he's missing this." She frowned.

"He's going wake up." Curtis insisted firmly. "Every elf in the Pole believes in him, we're all hoping for you guys. Come on, let's sing the song again."

"I don't know. Maybe my dad and Carol are right. Maybe I should take the kids home and stop waiting around for...for something that might not happen."

"NO!" Her friend half-shouted. "No, you can't give up on him. If you give up on Bernard then so will everyone else. Sing the song again! Dashing through the snow..."

"Curtis please..." But Curtis wasn't listening. He needed Jess to believe that her husband would wake up.

"Dashing through the snow...c'mon, dashing through the snow..." Jess sighed. She didn't see how singing a ridiculous holiday song would drag her husband out of a coma, but maybe if she sang along with Curtis it would at least make her friend feel better.

"Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, over the fields we go, laughing all the way." The pair sang _Jingle Bells_ all the way through three times.

"This is getting us nowhere." Jess growled. "All we've managed to do is put my kids to sleep." Curtis looked over to the baby carriers where Nick and Noel were snoozing. At least t_hey_ were enjoying the singing.

"One more time." The number two elf insisted. "Just once more and then...I'll take the kids home and leave you alone."

"Fine. One last time." She huffed with crossed arms. She rolled her eyes and started the song over. "Dashing through the snow in a one horse..."

"It's working!" Curtis exclaimed with wide eyes. Jess turned her attention to the bed Bernard was laying in. Sure enough it seemed like his eyes were fluttering.

"Keep singing!" Jess insisted. "Over the fields we go, laughing all the way. Bells on bob-tail ring, making spirits bright..."

"What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight." As the elves reached the chorus of the song Bernard's eyes began to open.

"Bernard!"Jessie wanted to fling herself at her husband, but she remembered his fractured clavicle and rib bones, so instead she leaned in gently and settled for a soft gently kiss on the lips. What Jess didn't notice was her husband's look of surprise or the unknowing expression in his eyes. She placed a comforting hand on his and smiled. "Oh I'm so glad that you're alright!"

"Well, beautiful girl whom I've never seen before," Bernard breathed out, "I'm so glad that I'm alright too. And whatever I did to earn myself a kiss from you..well I sure hope I do it again soon."

"Very funny, Bernard." Jess snarled. "I get it you were in a coma so you don't remember me or Curtis. ha ha." She leaned in for another kiss, but Bernard stopped her with his good arm.

"I'm sorry did you say that I was in a coma? For how long?" Bernard's eyes were wide with worry. "I must have passed out when I found out Santa fell off the roof. Did the new Santa arrive with his son all right? Did someone explain to him about The Santa Clause? What about The Mrs. Clause?" The Head Elf was rapid firing questions faster than his wife or best friend could answer them.

"What's wrong with him?" Curtis demanded.

"Curtis! A familiar face." Bernard gasped from his bed as he tried to sit himself up. "Number two, what are you doing in here? Where's the new Santa? Why am I laying in this bed?"

"Bernard, you have to lay down." Jess told him as she gently tried to force him back into bed. "You hurt yourself pretty bad when you fell off the roof..."

"I didn't fall off the roof!" He quipped, pulling himself out of his wife's grasp. "Santa did. Santa fell off the roof and...then I must have passed out from the stress. That's all. I don't need all these wires tubes..."

"You need those wires." Jess insisted. She tried to stop Bernard from ripping his medical equipment off.

"Stop telling me what I need!" Barnard growled. "I don't even know your name. You must be new. Are you a transfer from Keebler? Let me tell you something Mrs. Keebler, I am the Head Elf. That means I'm in charge here. And that means I tell _you_ what _you_ need to do. Not the other way around."

"You...don't...You have no idea who I am?" Jessie was crestfallen. The man she'd been married to for seven years, the father of her two kids, didn't know who she was.


	59. Chapter 59

**A/n: Thank you SailorSedna052 for your review of Chapter 58! **

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"Stop telling me what I need!" Barnard growled. "I don't even know your name. You must be new. Are you a transfer from Keebler? Let me tell you something Mrs. Keebler, I am the Head Elf. That means I'm in charge here. And that means I tell _you_ what _you_ need to do. Not the other way around."

"You...don't...You have no idea who I am?" Jessie was crestfallen. The man she'd been married to for seven years, the father of her two kids, didn't know who she was.

"No, I don't. So why don't _you_ go find Judy she's the president of our New Elf Orientation Committee. She'll show you around and teach you how things work around here..." Jess pressed a hand tightly against her lips to stop herself from bursting into to tears. Not only did her husband not remember her, he was rude and inconsiderate.

"Bernard!" Curtis hissed, but he recoiled after receiving a deadly glare from the Head Elf. "Um, that is Bernard, sir. This is my sister, Jessica..."

"Curtis, what are you...?"

"Just go with it." He whispered from the corner of his mouth. "Jessica came to visit me, and she's a medical nurse from Keebler. When she hear that you passed out, she came to help, but she's leaving now. Come on Jessica, I'll walk you out." Curtis picked up the baby carrier that Nick was sleeping soundly in, and grabbed Jess by the elbow. She had just enough time to pick up her daughter's carrier, as he dragged her out of the Sick Bay.

"What's happened to him?" She hissed as the doors closed soundlessly behind them. Curtis shrugged helplessly.

"We need the doctor to make sure, but _I think_ that _he thinks_ it's Christmas 1994." The number two explained.

"So all that talk about Santa falling off the roof, he doesn't mean my dad."

"Right, he's thinking about the Santa who was Santa before Scott Calvin." Curtis nodded. "That's why he doesn't remember you. The two of you didn't actually meet until Thanksgiving of the following year."

"He doesn't remember any of us. Charlie, Dad, the...the kids." Her voice cracked.

"Jess? Is everything alright?" Scott spotted his daughter and Curtis whispering outside of Sick Bay so he decided to find out what's up. "Is Bernard awake?"

"He is." The number two elf confirmed.

"Well that's great!" Scott beamed. "Why do you two look so glum? This is great news! We should be shouting this from the rooftops, well maybe not the rooftops that's what got us into this whole mess in the first place, am I right?"

"No Dad, it's not great." Jess huffed. "Because Bernard this it's Christmas 1994. He doesn't know who you are, he doesn't even know who _I am!_ He has no idea that we're married or that we have kids! He thinks I transferred from Keebler. Bernard _hates_ Keebler elves! I...I can't deal with this!"

"Hey, hey." Scott pulled his daughter into a hug. "Listen, shhhh, it's going to be alright. Whatever this is we'll work it out okay? You can't make a scene here in the Workshop. Let's see, Christmas 1994? Bernard still remembers who you are right, Curtis?"

"Yes, sir." He nodded.

"Ok good. I want you to send for Dr. Hismus and then you stay with Bernard, okay? You're the only one on the family he remembers, so you've got to keep an eye on him until we figure this out."

"I won't let you down!" Curtis promised before running to find the doctor.

"How about I carry the kids and walk you three home?" Scott suggested. He picked up a baby carrier in each hand before she could protest.

"Dad, I'm upset but I'm more than capable of getting my kids home."

"I know you are Princess." He smiled. "But I'm going to carry them just the same. And I think we should call your mother and have her come up here."

"No, we really don't need to call mom all the way up here, she has work and Lucy..."

"Well I'm sorry Jessie but I really think we need help with this. I'm in way over my head." He confessed.

"Every day since you took on this job you've been in over your head." His daughter tried her best at a dry joke. "You never called Mom before. So let's not start now."

"You know it's not the same thing." Scott countered. He swung open the front door of his daughter's house. "And I've had lots of help. Curtis and Bernard taught me everything when I started. Then You and Charlie were always here to support me too. So let your mom and I support you now."

"If you want to get someone to help, get Charlie."

"Charlie? I don't think he's got any experience with amnesia Jessie." Her father seemed skeptical.

"Listen, Bernard thinks it's Christmas 1994 right? Well, during Christmas 1994 Charlie was only eight. Maybe seeing a Charlie Calvin who's aged eleven years will spark something."

"I don't know about this..."

"Please call Charlie. I need him here." She begged. "I don't know how to explain it, but when Charlie's around...it just feels like anything's possible. We need him here."

"Fine." Scott agreed at last. "I'll call your brother and as soon as he can get away from his life, I'll have him here. In the meantime, I'm sorry sweetheart, but I'm afraid you're going to have to stay away from Bernard."

"I trust that he's in good hand with Curtis." She said, trying to sound like she believed it.

"We'll take care of him." Scott promised. "And we'll fix this. For now let's focus on the one good thing that's happened today, Bernard's awake. He's not in a coma anymore."

"Bernard's awake." She repeated. "He's not in a coma anymore."


	60. Chapter 60

**A/n: 60 Chapters wow! I really never thought this story would be so long! Seriously, when I started this I thought it would be cover the first film and that's it. But here we are, 60 Chapters later! I promise we'll be getting into Escape Clause ASAP. For now please try to enjoy the ride. I want to thank you all for your continued support and for making this story such a success! Thank you especially to SailorSedna052, dream lighting, 1234rewqasd5, RandomMan5113, Flowerchild23, SummerMistedDragon, DevilSurvivor, Mickey8142, shaddowdarkcloud, &amp; Snowflake2410 for your reviews of Chapter 59! And also thank you to everyone who has Favorited and/or followed this story. It seriously means a lot to me!**

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"Charlie will you help me with my homework?" Lucy asked her older brother. He was laying across his bed playing a video game Neil had bought him for his birthday. His sister was holding her math homework out, hoping he'd agree to help her.

"Sure Luce," He nodded. "Just let me turn this off." He saved his place in the game before jumping off the bed and powering the game system down. "So what are we doing today?" He questioned, offering Lucy a place to sit on his bed.

"Multiplication." Lucy sighed. "I'm suppose to memorize these by tomorrow." Charlie took the sheet from her and skimmed it over before smiling.

"You have to learn your nines tables?" She nodded. "Well lucky for you, I know an easy trick so that you don't have to really memorize them."

"Isn't that cheating?" She frowned.

"Not really. It's still memorizing, just in a different way. Watch, hold up your hands." Lucy did as he told her. "Ok, one times nine is nine. If you hold your first finger down, you still have nine finger's left right? One times nine is one."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Ok, this is the part where it starts to get confusing, so pay close attention. Start back at ten fingers again. Two times Nine is eighteen. Fold your second finger down, Now you have one finger on one side and eight on the other. Eighteen. Which is nine times nine."

"So if you go back to ten," Lucy tried to understand the pattern. "and then fold the third finger down, three times nine is 27?"

"That's right!" Charlie smiled. "So you have to memorized the pattern, but it's still easier to remember then the who times table."

"I like this trick, Charlie." Lucy smiled too. "Where did you learn it?"

"Your Dad taught me, when I was learning, and now I get to teach you."

"Thanks for helping me!" She said before wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Hello?" A familiar voice called up the stairs from the first floor.

"Uncle Scott?"

"Dad?" Both kids raced out of the room to find Scott standing at the base of the stairs.

"Hey guys!" He held his arms wide open and was overjoyed when Charlie and Lucy both flung themselves at him. How he wished things could stay as happy as they were in that moment.

"How long are you going to stay, Uncle Scott?" Luce asked excitedly.

"Not very long this time, I'm sorry Lucy." Santa frowned. "I have something really important to talk to your brother about, a Secret Santa mission that I need his help with."

"How old do I have to be before _I_ get my own Secret Santa mission?" Lucy frowned.

"I'll tell you what," Scott said crouching down and looking her in the eyes. "The next Secret Santa mission I have, it's all yours alright?"

"Promise?" She asked with crossed arms.

"I promise."

"Okay. Good luck with your secret mission, Charlie." Lucy told her brother before running back upstairs to practice her nines tables.

"What's up, Dad?" Charlie asked, taking a seat on the stairs. "Is everything okay?"

"No, Sport, I'm afraid everything is not okay." His father exhaled. "Bernard was fiddling with the lights on he and Jessie's house and he fell off the roof."

"He fell off the roof?" His son repeated with wide eyes.

"Yes. He's got a few broken bones but they say he's going to be fine. The problem is," Scott took a seat next to Charlie on the stairs. "Bernard's lost some of his memories. He still thinks it's 1994. He doesn't remember your sister, the kids, or anything that happened since I became Santa Claus."

"But how can I help?"

"Well, Sport, I'm not really sure. I don't think there's a way to treat the amnesia. I think either Bernard will get his memory back or he won't. But your sister seems to convinced that having you there will help out in some way. She said that having you around makes her feel like anything is possible."

"She said that?"

"She did. I offered to fly your mom up so she could help your sister with things for now, but the only one she wants to see is you. Do you think you can take some time out of school and help us out?"

"Yeah of course." Charlie got to his feet. "Let me pack some things and then you can take me up there right away. Oh but we should probably tell Mom and Neil first…"

"Don't worry about it." Scott waved him off. "I'll take you up to the Pole and once you're settled, I pop back down here and give them the whole story."

The second Charlie entered the workshop he could feel in the atmosphere that something was different. The elves were still bustling here and there trying to accomplish their tasks, but the usual cheer seemed to be missing from the air. Curtis was walking through the workshop when he spotted his friend with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a trouble expression on his face.

"Charlie, I didn't know you were coming for a visit."

"Yeah." He nodded. "I guess Jessie's been asking for me. Have you talked to her at all?"

"Bernard only came out of his coma this morning." Curtis explained. "He doesn't remember her. And I don't know how to help."

"But he still remembers you right? That's the best way you can help right now. Stay with Bernard, talk to him. I'll be there for my sister." Charlie assured. "If anything changes, please let us know. I'm going to head over to her house now."

"Charlie!" Jessie was relieved to see her brother standing in the doorway of the house. She threw her arms around him the second she saw his familiar round face. "Oh I'm so glad you agreed to come."

"After all those times you took care of me, how could I not?"

"Well come in, come in. We don't have a guest room but Quintin made sure we got an excellent sleeper sofa." She invited.

"Sleeper sofa's fine, Jess." Charlie promised. He carelessly tossed his duffle bag into the living room before poking his head back out. "Where are the kids?"

"Sleeping upstairs in Nick's room. He hates sleeping alone, kind of like his Mom." She sighed.

"Gross." Charlie winced. She made a face back at him. Then her expression changed. She leaned against the kitchen wall and sighed.

"Char, I don't know what the hell I'm going to do. Ten years ago, I was totally prepared to be alone. Didn't have a boyfriend, the family was pretty broken up too. Then I met Bernard and his neurotic personality gave me a center. I've built a whole new life here, and faster than you could say Merry Christmas, it was all pulled out from under me. No one understand why I need you here, Sport."

"You don't have to explain it to me." He interrupted. "I get it. I'm here, with as much believe as I could bring with me. And I can stay as long as you need."

"Thank you so much for understanding."


	61. Chapter 61

**A/n: Thank you to Lightraygirl, shaddowdarkcloud, leticia smit, &amp; SummerMistedDragon for your reviews of Chapter 60!**

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"Curtis there you are!" Bernard snapped when he saw his number two enter the Sick Bay. "Where have you been?"

"Just, checking up on my work sir. Uh, making sure the new Santa is settling in fine." Curtis hated lying to his best friend, but he also knew that the memory wiped version of Bernard wasn't really his best friend.

"Great." Bernard snarled. "You know I could check on the new Santa myself if SOMEONE WOULD GET ME OUT OF THIS BED!"

"I forgot how much you used to yell." Curtis mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Sorry, I was just saying let me get the doctor for you." Curtis returned minutes later with Dr. Hismus.

"Hello Bernard, how are you feeling?" The doctor smiled.

"Well, I 'd be feeling a lot better if I wasn't trapped in the infirmary." The Head Elf huffed.

"I'm sorry about that." The doctor was very sympathetic. "Let's talk about why you're still here then. Can you tell me what today is?"

"December 24, 1994."

"Okay, and can you tell me what some of the most popular toys for this Christmas are?"

"That would be My Size Barbies, Polly Pocket Pollyville Super Sets, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Action Figures, and Magna Doodles." Bernard rattled off a list of toys that hadn't been popular for almost a decade.

"I see. One last question, I'm sorry but I have to ask. What can you tell me about your family?"

"I don't have any." He answered plainly. "Now will you release me so that I can get back to work?"

"I'm afraid I can't release you today." Dr. Hismus frowned. "Unfortunately sir, you failed my cognition test..."

"Which means?"

"Which means you've suffered a severe case of memory loss. I'm sorry to inform you that today is not December 24, 1994, But in fact May 15, 2004."

"That's impossible!"

"It's not Bernard." Curtis stepped forward. "Ten years ago we got a new Santa, his name is Scott Calvin. That Christmas Eve you met Scott and his son Charlie. Then on Thanksgiving you met Santa's daughter Jessica. After a few years the two of you were married and she became an elf. Last year one December 22 your twin son and daughter were born."

"I don't believe it." Bernard shook his head.

"You should because it's the truth." No one had heard Scott enter the room, but he was now striding towards Bernard's bed. "And believe it or not, this joker's your best friend." He pointed at Curtis. "Hello Bernard, I'm Scott Calvin, the new Santa."

"I'd like to say that it's nice to meet you Santa, but given the circumstances…"

"It's alright. I understand." Scott chuckled. "You weren't too pleased to meet me the first time around. Listen, I just stopped by to see how you were doing the family's been asking about you."

"By family, I assume you mean my wife?" Bernard frowned.

"You remember?" The Head Elf shook his head regretfully.

"Sadly no, but Curtis mentioned her," Bernard struggled to sit up, he managed to, but only with the help of the doctor and Curtis. "I _do_ remember reading something about memory loss before. They talked about how sometimes seeing someone or something significant can trigger a memory. I'd like to see her, my wife."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Scott frowned, but Dr. Hismus didn't seem to feel the same way.

"I'm sorry Santa, but I think I have to agree with Bernard on this one. Scientific research has proven that an amnesiac's memory can be trigged into returning."

"Ok but shouldn't we start with something else? His office or Charlie or something like that?" Scott suggested. "I don't want to give her any false hope."

"I think we stand our best chance if we start with Jessica." The Doctor decided. "Barnard's not well enough to visit his office or even return home. Having her visit is a good move."

"Well, you're the doctor." Scott shrugged.

"Are you sure about this, Dad?" Jess asked as she walked back through the workshop with him.

"No, I am not sure." Scott replied bluntly. "I think this is a terrible idea, but that stubborn husband of yours and his doctor insist that this is the best plan."

"So, you don't think it's going to work?"

"I don't know." Her father shrugged. "But I just don't think you should get your hopes up."

"Well, he already has no idea who I am, so what's the worst thing that could happen? He can't forget me more." Sighing, Jess swung open the door to Sick Bay.

Bernard turned his attention to the doors. A short woman with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes had just entered the ward. He could see why he'd fallen for this girl in the first place. She might have been small, but she walked with such purpose and determination that she commanded the room. She didn't dress herself much like an elf either. That day she had on a blue sweater with white snowflakes, a pair of black wool leggings, a cozy pair of Uggs, and a familiar looking green velvet hat. She looked a beautiful as she did confident.

"I hope you don't mind. I borrowed your favorite hat." She told him sheepishly. "It's been hanging on the coat rack in the front hall since you fell off the roof."

"We'll just leave you two alone." Scott said. He started to pull Curtis out of the room and the doctor followed.

"Can I sit?" Jess asked now that they were alone.

"Be my guest, please." He invited. So she did.

"So, uh, I'm not sure exactly what they've told you. My name's Jessica, you call me Jessie most of the time. And I'm guessing you still don't remember me."

"I'm sorry, but I don't. At least not as my wife." Bernard frowned. "You were here when I came out of my coma, weren't you? Curtis lied and said you were his sister."

"I'm sorry he lied to you. We didn't know how to react."

"The feeling is mutual."

"It's so weird to see you like this." She laughed. "You're so raw. So prickly. I hadn't noticed this side of you disappear. I didn't realize I missed it."

"I've been this way for as long as I can remember."

"Since your father was Santa Claus." Jess remembered.

"How do you..."

"You told me. Right before our kids were born. You also told me about how much it hurt when your parents left you, and I promised you that would never happen again." Jess could feel tears well up in her eyes. "We built a life together and a family. I'm sorry, I know it doesn't help for me to cry." She wiped at her eyes.

"No," Bernard put a comforting hand on hers. "It helps. Maybe not to get my memory back, but it helps to know that we really do love each other. I never thought I'd ever get married. I'm glad it was at least to someone I know I cared about."

"But, if you can't remember me, how do you know we loved each other?"

"I can see it in the way you look in me. And I wouldn't tell just anyone about my parents. Curtis is the closest thing I have to a friend and even he doesn't know. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Whether you remember or not, you're my husband." Jess smiled. "I'd be happy to do anything you ask."

"Just promised me you won't give up on us. If not for me, then at least the version of me that remembers you. Just in case he comes back one day. He'll want you to still be at his side."

"I can do that." Jess promised.


	62. Chapter 62

**A/n: I'm sorry I've been MIA since before Christmas, obviously it was Christmas so I was busy! Sooo New chapter now. I hope y'all don't hate it/ Hope you guys missed me! Enjoy!**

**PS thanks to Brainy girl, dream lighting, Mickey8142, SummerMistedDragon, Applejax XD,RandomMan5113, 12345678910, Leticia, Twlightbella, &amp; Guest for your reviews of Chapter 61!**

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Jessica and her family spent the next two years trying to jog Bernard's memory. Visits from Charlie and the rest of the family wouldn't do it. Even seeing his own kids didn't work. Touring the workshop only made him feel confused and upset as he realized how much had changed. His own house almost sent him into a panic attack the first time he saw it, since it was so different than he remembered. Things really started to change when it became clear that Bernard's memories would not be returning anytime soon. Curtis was officially promoted to Head Elf under the agreement that if Bernard's memory ever came back he would return to the position. This left open Curtis' old position as the Keeper of the Christmas Handbook.

"How will you choose your replacement?" Jess asked during their summer Department Heads meeting.

"Well there's usually a Chain of Command to follow in these situations." He explained. "I can choose my replacement based on one of three criteria. One criteria is age; meaning the next oldest elf would take over the position."

"Another option," Quintin volunteered, "Is to hold a trial. We open the position up to anyone who would be interested in the job. It's lengthy processes with lots of debates and open discussions. That's how Bernard became keeper of the handbook."

"The last option is my favorite." Judy piped up. "It's called the Test of Belief. The Heads of all the departments, including Santa and the Head Elf, gather for a vote. They each cast a ballot for who their department thinks is the best candidate. That's how Curtis became keeper of the handbook."

"But how does each department decide who to vote for?" Jess wanted to know. "What's the criteria for the Test of Belief?"

"You're suppose to vote for the elf who most exemplifies the guidelines of the Christmas Handbook." Earnest, the Head of the Stables, explained. "Not just who follows the rules, but who also truly believes in the reasons behind the pages. Since a large part of the Number Two elf's job is boosting moral throughout the North Pole. They're also suppose to be knowledgeable in all things both at the North Pole and around the world."

"I think that's the fairest way to choose." Curtis decided. "Choosing only based on age disqualifies many elves who deserve a chance. And like Quintin said, trials are always long and dragged out. So Test of Belief it is. I think we should cast this vote as soon as possible. So let's postponed today's meeting rejoin in...I don't know an hour? Does that give everybody enough time to track down your teams?" The department heads nodded and murmured sounds of agreement.

* * *

One hour later the meeting was reconvened and a vote was cast. The results ended in a three way tie between Judy, Quintin, and Jessica. Judy it seemed, had been chosen by many of the teams because she was the next oldest elf at the North Pole. Quintin had been elected because of his never wavering ambitions. He was always creating, thinking and evolving. Lastly, Jess had been selected for her spirit, determination and character.

"So what happens in the event of a tie?" Scott questioned. As per the regulations for the Test of Believe he and Curtis had both been present for the vote.

"Well, neither of us have voted." The new Head Elf reminded him.

"That's not fair!" Santa complained. "I can't choose between you three! You're so great in such different ways."

"What if one of us doesn't want to job?" Judy volunteered. "I told the kitchen _not _to vote for me. I don't want to be promoted. I love it there." She insisted.

"I rather like my position in R&amp;D as well." Quintin agreed. "I'm not sure I want to be Keeper of the book either."

"What? You guys...I can't...I don't know how to..." Jess tried to find to right words to convince the others of what a terrible idea it was to put her in charge, but the more she thought about it; maybe the idea wasn't so bad. All those years being married to Bernard she had certainly learned a lot about the North Pole's day to day operations. She'd even glanced at the Christmas Handbook once or twice. And no other elf truly understood day to day life outside of the Pole like she did.

"I'd like to change my department's vote to Jessica." Earnest from the stables announced.

"So would I." Maude from drums interjected. One by one the departments who originally chose Quintin or Judy changed their votes to Jessica's favor and before she knew it the young elf was being presented with her own copy of the Christmas Handbook.

"Congratulations Jessica." Curtis smiled as he handed her the handbook. "Anything you'd like to say?"

"Just that I can't wait for my husband to get better so that _you_ can go back to toting this ridiculous book around." This earned a lighthearted chuckled from everyone in the room.

* * *

After the meeting Jess went home to check on her kids and husband. The house looked pretty much the same as it had when she left it. Two children running around the house with their father helplessly trying to control them.

"Mom's home!" She shouted as she entered the house. She stopped in the kitchen long enough to throw her Christmas Handbook down before proceeding in the next room where Bernard was trying to settle the kids in for a movie.

"Mommy!" Noel exclaimed as she launched herself at her mother. In the four years since the twins had been born they had grown and aged according to the usual elf standards. They learned to talk at two years old, and learned to walk the same year. Noel's first word had been 'Dadda', while her brothers had been 'Gramps'. Sure Jess had been disappointed that neither of them learned "Mom" or "Momma" first, but after Bernard's accident she felt guilty for these feelings.

"Come here princess." Jess caught her daughter with open arms. Looking at Noel was just like staring at a female version of her husband. The little girl has a full head of tight brown curls and round brown eyes just like her father. But as much as Noel was her father's image, Nicholas fit the Calvin family profile. Nick had straight brown hair just like Charlie did when he was younger and hazel eyes like his mother.

"I want a hug too Mamma!" Nick demanded as he made his way over to her.

"Of course Sport, come here." Jess pulled her son into the hug with his sister. "Momma missed you both so much when she was a work."

"We missed you too." Bernard said, joining his family in the doorway.

"Well, why don't we watch a movie together?" Jess suggested. "I'm sure Uncle Curtis can handle things without me for a few hours."

"YAY!" Both kids were overjoyed to hear that their Mom was making time for them.

"Ok, go pick out a movie together while Daddy and I make some popcorn." The kids did as they were told and scurried off to pick a movie out.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bernard frowned as his wife took out a package of popcorn. "Curtis is going to need your help more than ever now that he's Head Elf."

"Yeah," Jess nodded. She put the popcorn package in the microwave and avoided her husband's eyes."So, there's something I want to talk to you about and I'm not sure how you're going to feel about it..." Jess was nervous because even though she and the memory-wiped Bernard had gotten closer over the last two years, he still wasn't the same Bernard who had fallen off of the roof. She knew how that Bernard would react to the news. He'd congratulate her and force her to stay up all night reading the handbook and explain to her why some rules were enforced and others weren't. But new Bernard? He was kind, and encouraging but he was still so lost in the modern age. His brain wanted to believe it was the 90's and not the early 2000's.

"Well, whatever it is Jessie we can talk it through." He insisted as the popcorn kernels began to heat up. "One step at a time, that's how we've gotten through things so far."

"Today at the Department Head's meeting, Curtis called for a Trial of Belief."

"Well it's good that he's already thinking about a replacement." Her husband approved. "The workshop really needs two leaders. So who did you guys vote for?"

"Well I voted for Q," She explained. "But it basically came to a universal vote for me."

" Jessica that's amazing news!" Practically beaming, Bernard lifted his wife off her feet and spun her around. "Congratulations! That's such great news!"

"Wow." She breathed as her feet touched the floor once more. She honestly wasn't expecting him to be so enthusiastic. The Popcorn finished popping so Jess plucked it out of the microwave and dumped the warm buttery snack in a large bowl. "Listen," she said with a very serious look in her husband's direction. "I didn't accept the job..."

"You didn't? That's crazy! Jessica why..."

"Let me finish. I didn't accept the job immediately. After the meeting got out I talked to Curtis and told him I had to talk to you first. I don't want to take this promotion if it's going to make you uncomfortable."

"I think you should take the promotion. It's an amazing opportunity and since Curtis is Head Elf now he is going to need a number two that knows how the Pole is suppose to run. On top of that you were _voted_ number two elf. Turning down an opportunity like that..."Bernard sighed. "Jessica, we don't know if or when my memory will come back. Please don't let my lack of memory stop you from accepting such an honor."

"Well if you're sure. Thank you so much for understanding." Jess kissed her husband on the cheek before scooping up the bowl of popcorn. "Let's go enjoy our movie with the kids then, I have a feeling I'll be very busy this year."


	63. Chapter 63

**A/N: Happy Holidays everyone! I'm so sorry it took me so long to get around the this story this year. I know last year I came back to it much sooner. This year things are a little more chaotic, blah blah blah insert lame excuse here! Anyway with it being the second of December, I really want to try and get some Chapters out to you wonderful darlings. So I hope you enjoy Chapter 63, I will try to update again as soon as possible!**

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"Jessica Calvin to Santa's office please!" Jess quickened her pace when she heard her father's voice calling for her through the workshop loudspeakers. It was still six months before Christmas but she was already feeling the pressure of the holiday season. As it turned out, being Keeper of the Christmas Handbook was a lot more work than Curtis ever made it out to be.

For starters she was actually expected to tote the ridiculously oversize book _everywhere _she went. She didn't think it was possible for something so big to be heavier than it looked. On top of that, Jess felt as if she couldn't ever accomplish a single task because she was constantly running from one end of the workshop to the other. Who knew the elves needed the Keeper of the Handbook to settle so many disputes? _Jessica, what does the handbook say is the proper tinsel to pine needle ratio? Jessica, how may chocolate chips belong on a perfect cookie?_ _Jess, what does the Handbook say are the official rules to tinsel football?_ It was enough to drive any elf crazy!

"You wanted to see me, Dad?" She panted when she reached Santa's office. "Oh, hey, Carol." She forced a smile even though she was out of breath.

"Hey Princess, you ok?" Scott and Carol both watched her with concerned eyes, but Jess waved them off.

"I'm fine! I've got a full list of new toys to test out before lunch, Judy needs me to find some glutton free cookie recipe in this thing…" She paused long enough to flop the Christmas Handbook on her father's desk. "And when I tried to ask Curtis about it, he was all worked up about not being able to get into the Head Elf's safe. Apparently Bernard used to keep an important checklist in there and Curtis used to have a copy but he's lost it. And of course Bernard doesn't remember the combination so Curtis expects _me_ to figure it…and none of this is what you wanted to talk to me about. I'm sorry."

"If this is a bad time…" Carol frowned.

"No, no!" Jess shook her head. "I get the impression this is a family thing. I always have time for family stuff." She insisted.

"Well that's great honey, because we're going to need all the help we can get since our family is about to get a little bigger." Scott smiled.

"Bigger how?" Jess tilted her head to the side. She was so tired that her brain wasn't functioning properly.

"I'm Pregnant!" Carol burst out excitedly. It took a second for the word to register in Jess' mind. _Pregnant? Pregnant!_

"That's amazing news!" She squealed in delight. First she threw her arms around Carol, and then dragged her father into the hug. "I'm so happy for you guys!" She mumbled, squished together between her father and step-mother.

"This will be so great! Nick and Noel will have someone to play with, you guys won't have to worry about a babysitter because Bernard…Bernard." The name caught in her throat. All things considered Jess had been handing her husband's two-year-long memory loss exceptionally well. For the most part she had even gotten used to the New Bernard, but every once in a while something would happen to remind her of the elf she has once fallen in love with. "Bernard loved babies." She could feel the tears brimming in her eyes. "Congratulations again Dad, Carol. I'm sorry but I've got to get back to work." Jess dragged her Handbook off the desk and started trudging back towards the Workshop.

"Jessie?" Her dad called out her name in a half-whisper. She looked over her shoulder and mustered up the best smirk she could manage. "Hey what do ya say we go to the movies tonight, just the two of us? We haven't done something alone in a long time. It'll be like the good old days."

"Sounds great Dad."' She said quietly. "I'll come by later tonight after work, okay?"

"See you then, Princess." He smiled as his daughter left the office.

_Ooof._ Jessica grunted once the large glass doors of Santa's office closed behind her. She used to love Christmas. When she was really small it was the only time her parents didn't fight. After they were divorced the holidays were a special treat. A little oasis out of the year where everyone was finally together again, even if it was just for one night. After Scott became Santa she really thought everyone was all the better for it. Her dad finally had something he was passionate about. He'd repaired the rift between he and Charlie that had been growing like a fungus; slowly and without anyone really noticing until it was almost too late.

Mom and Neil were also happier. With the pressure of having to always be the "grown up" parents lifted from their shoulders, they were able to have a much better relationship with Charlie and Jessica. Jess had gone from avoiding her step father's presence whenever possible, to accepting him as an irreplaceable member of the family. Then of course there had been Bernard. Stressed, stubborn, unwavering Bernard. He had taught his wife so many amazing things, but she never noticed until he was gone and it was too late to thank him.

Now a days, things felt so different. Everyone was scattered, living their own lives. Charlie was practically an adult with his own life. Laura and Neil had Lucy to think of. Lucy, being sixteen years or so younger than her older sister and about ten years younger than Charlie, was being raised a completely different way. She was a member of a completely different generation. Scott and Carol had each other now, the picture perfect Mr. and Mrs. Claus, with a baby on the way.

And Jessica. Well, she was a mother herself. She should be happy for the little life she'd made for herself at the Pole. Instead, she couldn't help but notice the small nag in the back of her mind. While the rest of the Calvin clan had managed to put their rocky past behind them, Jess couldn't help but feel like she was trapped. "New Bernard" had done his best to fill the void his old self had left behind and she really wished that were enough. She'd spent two years trying to make it enough. But the situation felt too familiar. It was her own parents' marriage all over again. She was terrified she was going to force her two kids into the broken home life she herself had been running from for so long.


	64. Chapter 64

**A/n: I have to tell you guys that the reason I'm struggling so much this year is because I have a lot of feelings and a lot of ideas that I want to convey properly and it's taking me time to work through and get exactly what I want. So I apologize in advance for the long breaks in between updates, just know I am working on it! :D I also feel the need to mention that writing out the last two paragraphs of this chapter literally made my heart hurt. I don't know what the emotional opposite of Fluff is called, but the end of this Chapter is it, and I'm sorry to say I think things are going to get a lot worse before they get better, but that only makes the reward all the better right? **

**Thank you so much to Ghostwriter, BlueRaider1993, dream lighting, FlowerChild23, Dreamer558750, Amber0522 and 2 Guests for your reviews of Chapter 62! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter, I look forward to your thoughts!**

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Curtis and Jessica were the last to leave the workshop floor once production was closed down for the day. Overall, things were going well. Sure production wasn't ahead of schedule but at least they had managed keep from falling behind. The kitchen hadn't had any fires and save a few troublesome baby reindeer the North Pole was running as could be expected. Curtis still hadn't been able to get into the Head Elf's safe for the Christmas Checklist, but Jess had found an extremely outdated version in her Handbook from centuries ago. With combined efforts from some of the department heads a temporary list had been composed to get them through the year.

"He would be proud of you, Curtis." Jess whispered, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. They were standing alone in the center of the workshop. The conveyer belts and workstations all displaying signs of interrupted work, halted in various stages of toy making.

"Hmm?" Curtis had been running some projective calculations in his head and had missed what Jessica had said.

"Bernard." She explained. "He would be so proud of you. You've been able to keep everyone on schedule. You deal with problems so diplomatically, even without your checklist. You never forget the most important thing is keeping the Spirit of Christmas alive for people all around the world. It's everything he ever wanted in a successor." She pulled her lips into a bitter sweet smirk. "Figures the one year you prove you can handle it, he's not around to see it. But Curtis, I wish he could."

"Jessica, he's going to come back someday." Curtis was certain. He had to be. He could dare thing for a second his best friend wouldn't eventually go back to the elf they all knew and respected. "Bernard loved you and he loved the North Pole. We just have to keep believing in him. If we even doubt it for a minute…"

"I know what you're going to say. It's like Santa. The second I stop believing that Bernard will remember, then I'll never get him back. But Curtis, it's getting hard and harder to believe every year."

"That's where the magic comes from." He insisted. "Seeing it's believing, believing is seeing. Belief is what powers all the magic at the North Pole. You know what Bernard would say if he were here?"

"Get back to work you two! It's six months before Christmas and we have so much work left!" She suggested in a terrible impression of her husband.

"Well he probably _would_ say that." He chuckled. "But, it's something he told me a long time ago that the head elf before him had said. _If we don't believe in ourselves, how can we expect anyone else to?" _

"I'll keep that in mind Curtis. Have a good night." Jessica gave Curtis a good-bye hug before putting on her winter jacket and braving the Pole's snowy exterior.

Jess wandering up the pathway that led to her house. Bernard's house. It had been a long time since she'd thought of the building that way. As something that only belonged to her husband. She tried opening the door slowly, not wanting to draw the attention of her family just yet. She ran her fingers along the collection of velvet hats that hung on a rack in the entryway. Seven velvet hats that Jess nor Bernard wore anymore as neither felt they belonged to them.

Jessica hung her coat on the rack under the hats and continued moving inside the house. She guided her feet towards the stairs and began quietly climbing upwards. Climbing up the stairs that had been so lovingly designed by her husband and their friends. She walked down the hall past Nick and Noel's rooms and stopped. It was the home office Scott and Quintin had created especially for her and Bernard. This was where she came on the days when she missed him the most. She twisted the doorknob and let herself in.

She'd been trying, desperately, not to hide in the office anymore. With so much going on and Christmas ever approaching, it seemed ridiculous to still go in there. But she knew that in a few short months she'd be too busy to go in, too busy to remember. Everything looked exactly as it had the morning he'd fallen off the roof. The thought of moving anything left an unsettling feeling in her stomach. The kids knew of the room only as "Mommy's office" and they knew it wasn't a place for playing. In a way this broke Jessica's heart. This should have been a room for all of them. A place they could be together. Instead it was a tomb.

There was a beat up CD player in the corner, one of the few things Jess had taken from home when she moved to the Pole. It was covered in Lisa Frank stickers and childish doodles from when she was a decade younger. Jess walked over to the dust covered device and pressed play. Tears filler her eyes as the first song on the CD began to play. It was _Jingle Bells_ Bernard's favorite song.

She pictured him sitting at his desk bent over paperwork and scowling. She walked over to the desk, trying to remember what the last thing he'd been working on was. She imagined a plate of cookies next to his elbow, a mug of coco in his free hand. She sat on the edge of the desk, just like she used to, and closed her eyes. She could almost hear the sound of his pen scratching against parchment under the music. For a few fleeting seconds she could pretend that everything was as it should be. Then a soft knock broke her spell. The real Bernard poked his head inside.

"I'm sorry." He apologized immediately. "I didn't mean to interrupt." He began backing out of the doorway. Jessica knew she should have called out to him. She should have invited him into the room with her. She should have talked to him. But she didn't. She let him close the door, and the tears began to spill over. They trickled down her cheeks and stained the wooden floors. Things would never be as the once were.


	65. Chapter 65

**A/n: This chapter is short but not very sweet. It's a little fluffy, but I'm planning on finally getting to actual Escape Clause the next chapter. This one is just a bridge chapter to get us there. **

**A huge thank you to Dragon Heart, Dreamer568750, Amber0522, Ghostwriter, BlueRaider1993, alyssa. , &amp; Dream lighting for your reviews of Chapter 64! I love reviews they let me know my work is being enjoyed and I appreciate you taking the time to to gift me with them. Hope you enjoy, I'll be back again soon!**

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_Jessica woke one morning feeling well rested for the first time in a long time. She rolled over, expecting to see Bernard sleeping peacefully next to her. Only he wasn't there. Concerned, Jess got out of bed and began to search for her Husband. She felt guilty for not being completely fair to him. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't remember the past eight years. He was great with the kids and he was doing an amazing job keeping the house running. _

_Jess checked in on her son and her daughter who were both sleeping soundly in their rooms. She wished she had more time to spend with them and promised herself that after Christmas she would take a vacation and finally be with her family. She would move on and accept New Bernard for her who was. They had to start making a life together and she had to stop living in the past._

_She walked downstairs, still looking for her husband, and was greeted by the warm scent of coco and…waffles? Bernard was cooking breakfast. That's where he'd gone off too. She leaned against the kitchen doorframe and watched him. He was methodical, working deliberately and systematically to prepare the food in the most efficient way possible. He spotted her in the doorway when he turned for more waffle batter. _

"_Oh! Morning, Darling. I wasn't expecting you to be up so early. There's just enough time for breakfast before I get to my meeting with Curtis." He explained before turning back to his work._

"_Why do you have a meeting with Curtis?"_

"_It's my pre-Christmas meeting." He explained. "I have one every year. Are you feeling alright?" _

"_But you don't-you-re not Head Elf anymore. Why would you…"_

"_What are you talking about Jessie? Of course I'm head Elf! Who else would it be? Curtis? Over my dead body!" He insisted, waving the spatula at her. Jess was worried. Had Bernard suffered another bout of amnesia, one where he now couldn't remember even the last two years?_

"_Bernard, what year is it?" She tried to remember the other questions the doctors would ask._

"_2006\. Jessica are you sure you're feeling alright? If you're not, I'm sure the Painting Department can last a day without you." Bernard looked concerned. He put his spatula down and studied his wife's face. She wasn't making any sense to him and it was troublesome. "You could stay home with Nick and Noel, Or I could ask Judy to watch them for the day. Of course Santa could probably use the practice himself…"_

"_You remember everything?" Jess gasped. "Our kids, who I am? You remember that we're married…all of it?"_

"_Of course, Darling." Bernard pressed the back of his hand against his wife's forehead. "You're not warm. Why don't you tell me what's going on? We're really close to Christmas, but I'm sure Curtis can manage for a day if you need me here." _

"_What-I…I was having this dream…nightmare I guess. You were changing the lights and you, well you fell off the roof! Dad and I told you to get down, and when you started to climb onto the ladder, you fell. It was days before you woke up. Might have even been weeks. It felt like a lifetime. I was afraid you'd never wake up and when you did you…you didn't remember who I was. You didn't remember we had kids, you didn't remember we were married…and-and…"_

"_Alight, come here." Bernard pulled his wife into his arms. "I could never forget about you, Jessie, you know that." He tried to calm her down by stroking her hair. "It's okay, I'm right here, Jess…"_

"Jess! Jessica!" She woke from her actual dream to find Curtis standing over her. Jess pulled herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. This wasn't the first dream she'd had like this, but it was the first one that had been rudely interrupted by Curtis. A perfect dream world where Bernard remembered everything. A world where Bernard and Curtis could go back to their respective jobs and not leave her to be awakened so early by the temporary Head Elf.

"I was sleeping!" She groaned, getting up off the cot. At first she'd been ashamed to admit to Curtis that she was sleeping in her office. She could only imagine what he must have thought of her. How horrible she was for leaving new Bernard with the kids all the time. But Curtis was understanding. He promised to keep it a secret from everyone, even Santa.

"We don't have time for sleep!" Curtis answer her in a huff. "It's two weeks before Christmas and there is still so much to do!"

"so much to do?" She questioned, rubbing the side of her neck. As it turns out sleeping on a cot in your office is not the most comfortable thing in the world. "I thought you said we were right on track?"

"That was weeks ago! Santa's been too busy with Mrs. Claus we've fallen behind! He hasn't checked his list even _once_! We still have to map out the sleigh route, painters are out of paint, there are fifty seven hammers missing…"

"Curtis!" Jess raised her voice to get his attention. "Breath. There that's better. Ok, whatever's wrong it's not too late to fix it. So how about we sit down and make up a list of everything you want done. The we'll divide everything up. It'll be a piece of cake.

"Easy for you to say." Curtis sighed. "Santa _listens_ to you."

"Well then I'll add my dad to the top of my list." She scribbled "_Scold Santa"_ across the top of a sheet of parchment and looked up. "What's next?"


	66. Chapter 66

**A/N: Since the last update was so short wanted to get one more out to you tonight! We've finally gotten into Escape Clause! (Yay?) I know most people aren't a fan of this one, and it's not my favorite of the three by any standard, but there are some good plot points that I'm really looking forward to getting into! It's going to be a fun one you guys, we'll make it fun together! **

**_ Ghostwriter-_ My personal opinion is that although EC is the worst of the three, it's still a pretty decent holiday movie compared to others I've seen. (Watched Santa Paws for a work related reason and it was literally unwatchable. First kids movie I can remember being unable to finish!)**

**_ Alyssa. _, I needed some fluff, the sadness was starting to get to me!**

**As always thank you to Alyssa. , ghostwriter, &amp; BlueRaider1993 for your reviews of Chapter 65! I'm surprised at how speedy you all got your reviews in! And I'm sure you know this already but I love reading each and every one of them! This is the last chapter of the night, but I'd like to be back with another one before Saturday. Have a good night and thanks again for favoriting, following, reviewing and enjoying! :D**

* * *

"Dad? Carol?" Jessica let herself into her father's office. Carol was lounging on the couch, rubbing her very pregnant stomach. The school teacher was softly singing the lyrics to Jingle bells, just above an audible whisper. Jess had to bite her inner lip to keep from dissolving into a complete mess. Santa was pacing in front of the fireplace, mumbling to himself.

"Jessica!" Carol's face lit up when she spotted her step daughter. "C'mon here, quickly!" She waved her over to the couch frantically. "Here, put your hands here and here…" Carol arranged Jess' hands on her stomach carefully before singing again. "Jingle bells, jingle bells..." As soon as the baby heard its mother's voice it began to kick. The second she stopped so did the baby.

"That's adorable, Carol." Jessie offered a genuine smile. Whatever nostalgic feelings she had for the song shouldn't tarnish Carol's moment. "I heard about the false alarm this morning." She mentioned sympathetically. "Don't worry, Baby Claus will be here soon!"

"Oh I can't imagine having to go through this for twelve months like you did! Nine had been long enough for me." Carol smiled. "Do you have time to join us for some Cocoa?"

"Actually I came up here to steal Dad for a few minutes, if you don't mind, that is." She looked over her shoulder at Scott who had finally stopped walking up and down in front of the fireplace. "Curtis says we'll _really _behind schedule. He insists that we need you."

"Now?" Scott frowned. "But I have so much to do up here! I have to map the sleigh route, check the list…"

"Santa!" Curtis came charging into the office interrupting the family.

"I should just get a revolving door for the place, eh, Honey?" Scott was trying to joke with Carol but she didn't look at all amused. "Curtis I can't come down right now. It's impossible!"

"Have you even checked this list once?" Curtis asked holding up the N&amp;N list that was spilling over on Santa's desk.

"I have…perused it." Scott told him.

"That's not what I came up here for anyway." The temp. Head Elf huffed. "The Council of Legendary Figures have called for an Emergency Meeting."

"I can't leave the North Pole and go to a council meeting!" Scott scoffed.

"They know that, that's why they came here."

"Here?" Jessica and Scott repeated at the same time. This was a major downside to working with the two Calvins. They were so closely connected that everything seemed to happen in stereo. "Where?" That asked together.

"In the kitchen." Curtis explained.

"Okay, Okay." Carol huffed getting up off the couch with Jess's help. "I'm going to go for a walk, Sweetie. It's good for the baby. So you all just…stay here and I'll go for a walk."

"Honey!" Scott called out, following his wife out of the room. This caused Curtis and Jess to trail after him. Now Carol had a parade of footsteps echoing down the stairs behind her. "Honey!" It seemed the Mises was ignoring his frantic beckoning as she wandered out onto the workshop floor. "Carol?"

"Care for some company, Mrs. Claus?" He asked when he finally caught up to her.

"Not from you, Mr. Claus." She sighed before biting into a strand of popcorn garland she had pilfered form an elf on her way by.

"Why not?" Scott rubbed his oversized belly nervously. It had been over fourteen years since his last marital dispute, but he could sense one building up between he and Carol at that moment.

"Because you can't spend time with me and get the toys ready for Christmas, and I understand completely." She explained.

"You do?" Santa wasn't so sure about that. Sure her mouth was saying she was okay with it, but how was she _really_ feeling? He had learned a long time ago that what women say and how they actually feel can be two completely different things.

"Of course I do! I just hope you're not delivering, while I'm delivering." Carol turned to walk away again. The popcorn wasn't tasting so great after the third or fourth bite. She had to find something else.

"I'm not going to let that happen!" Scott insisted, following after her. Curtis and Jess had stopped following them so closely at this point. The last thing the two Clauses need was someone adding more fuel to their fire on either side. So the acting Head Elf and his acting keeper of the handbook stood tougher in the center of the workshop. Watching and waiting for the appropriate time to intervene.

"Carol, there is no way that I'm going to…" Santa had started to say something but he got distracted when one of the elves walked by, pushing a brand new bike. "Nice chrome work Lenny!" He called after the elf in approval.

Carol shook her head behind her husband's back and Jess buried her head in her heads. For a guy who sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake her father was pretty clueless. How had he not noticed his wife was lonely? How had she not noticed? _You've been busy wallowing. _Jess scolded herself. Maybe if she hadn't been so busy throwing herself a pity party the last six months she could have helped Carol.

"I know this is all a bit over whelming to you!" Scott said, turning his attention back to Carol. She had already moved away from him. She was standing in the center of the stuffed toys department, about to pick up one of the three-foot-tall teddy bears. "Wait a minute, stop!" He asked as she scooped the oversized bear into her arms. "Did you see this?" He plucked up a plush duck from a nearby shelf.

"It's a duck that quacks in three languages!" Santa told his wife excitedly.

"Things can't help me right now, Sweetheart." Carol sighed sadly, setting the giant bear back in its place. "It's people that I need. You know, family. I know that this is a busy time for you and Jessica and I don't want to take you away from your work."

"We're all your family!" Scott chuckled. "Me, Jess and Bernard, Curtis, and the rest of the elves, right elves?"

"We love you Mrs. Claus!" The elves agreed in an almost rehearsed retort.

"Taller family," Carol whispered. "Human family." Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice began to crack. That was enough for Jess to decide to intervene. She joined her father and Carol at the base of the main staircase. "I'm sorry, it's an impossible situation and if I didn't want to be with you so much I would go home, but I can't have it both ways." Carol began to cry.

"Aww, Honey, anything but the tears." Scott frowned uncomfortably. He hated when any of his girls cried, but he hated being the cause of it even more. "Wait a minute! Maybe you can have it both ways."

"How?" Mrs. Claus sniffled. "My dad thinks you're a toy maker in Cananda."

"I can bring home here!" Scott suggested.

"You can?" Curtis and Jess hissed at the same time. How did he imagine he would pull _that_ off?

"I can bring your parents here." He continued, ignoring his daughter and number one. All around the room the elves were making 'oos' and 'ahs' of intrigue. Cutis silenced them all with one look. With lightning quick speed, the hundreds of small heads were bent down over their work once more.

"Dad, what about the S.O.S.?" Jess asked, holding up her Christmas Handbook. She tried not to think about it too hard, but the action was slightly reminiscent of Curtis. Maybe it was a habit all Keepers of the Handbook picked up eventually. She hoped she wasn't in the position long enough to find out.

"Excuse me?" Carol looked from her Step-Daughter to her husband, she was no longer crying but her eyes were still watery.

"The S.O.S., Secret Of Santa." Curtis huffed. "There could be dire consequences. The possibilities increase exponentially that the closely guarded secret of the North Pole's true location could be compromised and Christmas as we know it, would cease to exist! Crushing the hopes and dreams of the children all over the world and extinguishing the joy of Santa's magic forever!"

"There's that…" Scott sighed stroking his beard. "Listen, the reason you came up here was because of me. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this right. Cause what do they say about Santa?"

"He delivers!" The elves shouted form their various stations around the workshop.

"Yeah! The answer is in the question. How, may dad think's you're a toy maker is Cah-na-duh!" Santa was suddenly very excited. "Cah-na-duh! It's North of America! Vinegar on their French fries, eh! They sit on their Chesterfields to watch the hockey game. Shoot the Puck, Daddio! C'mon everybody, listen up. Elves grab your hammers and let's get to work, the in-laws are coming!"

"As if we didn't already have enough to do." Curtis whispered to Jessica.

"Wait till he figures out we're missing fifty something hammers." She whispered back.


	67. Chapter 67

While the rest of the elves were sent off to turn the North Pole into a façade of Canadian Toy Factory, Scott dragged Jess and Curtis into his meeting with the legendary figures. It wasn't like the members of the council to call an emergency meeting a week before a major holiday. Whatever had brought them there, couldn't be a good thing. Santa wanted to have his two tops elves along for support. Jess and Curtis had thought it a good idea considering how upset Carol had been lately. They wanted to do their best to help with Christmas until either the holiday was finished or the baby was born.

The council was, as always, a team of gracious guests. They had assembled themselves quietly in the kitchen around a long stainless-steel counter top. Mother Nature and Father Time stood at the head of the counter talking quietly to each other as everyone else filed in. Sandman was already there, curled up against the cool metal surface. His head was resting on his hands while he snoozed. The Easter Bunny claimed the seat next to him. He adjusted his bowtie and looked around the kitchen excitedly. It wasn't too often the Council met outside of Santa's Office when they were at the North Pole.

Across from the Easter Bunny sat the Tooth Fairy. He'd seen most of the North Pole four Christmases ago when he'd helped Santa, Charlie and Mrs. Claus each get back there from Chicago. Unlike the other Legendary Figures he often stopped by the Pole for unscheduled social visits and felt right at home in the bright and cheery kitchen. Cupid was fluttering around the group, hovering here or there lazily as he waited for Santa to arrive. Scott took the only empty seat, between the Tooth Fairy and Father Time. Jess and Curtis stood behind him, both keeping a watchful eye on the kitchen as Mother Nature called the meeting to order.

"Santa," Mother Nature sighed. "We thought you should see this." From between herself and Father Time, she produced a cardboard cut-out of Jack Frost, the Herald of Winter. In the cut-out, Frost was wearing his usual icy blue suite and a sash. The sash stretched from shoulder to hip and read '_MERRY FROSTMAS."_

"Silver Bells!" Scott exclaimed in disappointment. He knew Jack had been getting carried away lately, but this was too much.

"I found 270 of them in shopping malls scattered across the Northwest." Mother Nature shook her head disapprovingly. "I hereby call this special meeting of the Council of Legendary Figures to order. Sandman!" She slammed her hand down on the counter startling the Sandman awake.

"I'm up! I'm up!" He said, suddenly very alert.

"This is ridiculous!" Scott mumbled.

"Our first, and only, order of business is the disciplinary action to be taken against council member Jack Frost."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Frost came sauntering over from somewhere unknown. He was wearing the exact same outfit as his cardboard standee, the only difference being a pair of blue sunglasses shading his eyes. He had clearly been hiding somewhere to make and entrance and draw even more attention to himself. Jess rolled her eyes at Curtis. She never much cared for the guy before she knew he was real. Turns out the actual Jack Frost was so much more to handle than humans realized.

"Jack, you are hereby charged with 273 counts of attempted upstaging of Santa Clause!" Mother Nature sneered without sympathy. Jack pointed at himself in faux confusion. Surely, she couldn't be talking about _him_! "You froze a volcano in Hawaii, you made it snow in the amazon, and you frosted Mexico sending all of the geese North for the winter! You have violated the Legendary Figures Code of Conduct in a way that is both willful and malicious!"

"Excuse me," Jack began with a smile. "Did you just accuse me of being skillful and delicious? Guilty as charged!" He added cheekily.

"Oh please!" Scott groaned from his seat.

"Frost!" Farther Time hissed. "You herald a season! You're not a holiday!"

"You're the best friend, you're not the leading man!" The Tooth Fairy agreed.

"And you kill fruit!" The Easter Bunny tossed in.

"All in favor of suspending Jack Frost from the Legendary Council, Please say…" Father Time began, all around the table hands were being raised. First the Tooth Fairy and then the Sandman.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Jack interrupted. "Father Time wait a minute! You don't understand, I have enormous untapped potential but all I am year after year is an opening act."

"Jack!" Scott folded his arms over his chest. For a minute, it felt like the old days when he would give one of his kids a lecture about their behavior. "Why don't you let it go, we have the same conversation every year…"

"No, no, no!" Jack insisted. "You let it go! You get the soda cans, and you get the TV specials, and you get the postage stamps and the billboards, and the beautiful adoring wife, the charming family, and-and the army of toy building yes men!" He pointed over Santa's shoulder where Jess and Curtis were to emphasize his point. "What do I get? A few running noses and some _dead citrus!_"

"You know Jack," Scott slammed his hands on the table and jumped to his feet. This caused Jess, Curtis and the others in the room to jump as well. No one other than Jessica could ever remember seeing Santa truly mad before. Even for his daughter it had been sometime since she'd seen him so worked up.

"It's no picnic being me either!" Scott exclaimed. "Because of our production problems an entire continent might go without presents this year! That's right!" He looked around the table at the other council members. "And on top of that, I've gotta protect the Secret of Santa this year, because the in-laws; oh boy the in-laws! Mr. &amp; Mrs. In-a-bad-mood-every-time-I-turn-around are coming to the North Pole! They're not supposed to be at the North Pole, so I gotta come up with some solution for that and! And! On top of that I'm a tad bit worried about being a father again since I wasn't all that good at it the first time!" Scott huffed his final words before flopping back down into his chair.

"Oh Santa, we had no idea." Mother Nature said.

"You know if it were me in the red suit," Cupid yawned. "I'd probably go right to the Escape Clause."

"Oh no," Scott shook his head. "The Escape Clause would be too extreme."

_Escape Clause?" _Jess mouthed to Curtis curiously before looking it up in her Christmas Handbook.

"Escape Clause? What's that again?" Jack Frost was wondering the same thing.

"Maybe if you'd attend a meeting once in a while, you'd know!" Father Time sniggered.

"Look, look!" Scott interrupted. "I'm _not_ invoking the Escape Clause! I made a commitment. I'll handle the toys and I'll be there when my wife delivers our baby."

"Let me help." Jack offered.

"You've done quite enough already." Father Time insisted.

"No, no, no," Frost disagreed. "Instead of a suspension, how about community service? What if I tutor myself at the elbow of the master? You know, I could lend a hand. Make some toys, wrap a few presents. If-if I don't make it with the hefty man here then he says the word and you suspend me. I-I know I don't deserve another chance but I am asking you for one. I want to make things right."

Scott took a minute to consider the idea. They really could use the help at the Pole. But was Jack Frost more trouble than his help would be? He looked over his shoulder at Jess and Curtis. While his daughter was shaking her head "no" his Head Elf was nodding "yes." Slightly unsure of himself, he decided to go with Curtis' advice.

"Alright, you don't want to get suspended? I'll give you one more chance. But you have to be a Jack Frost of all trades. You also have to listen to the elves. Curtis and Jess are your bosses. Now I mean it. If there is one, _one, _icicle out of place you are gone!"

"I will not let you down." Frost promised with a chilly smile.

"Motion carried." Mother Nature agreed and the meeting was officially ended.

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**A/n: I know everyone has been asking about Bernard and I hate to crush your hearts but he will not remember before Jack tricks Santa into the Escape Clause. (If all things go according to plan though, we will eventually have our favorite angry elf back!) I know I didn't update this story much through Christmas this year but I will try to post new chapters through out the rest of the year. I want to have this story finished by next Christmas, fingers crossed! **

**Thank you to Dragon Heart, FlowerChild23, alyssa. , BlueRaider1993, Ghostwriter, dream lighting, Digital Fan Girl, raventayler13, QueenOfDorks, halfdemon376 &amp; 1 Guest who reviewed Chapter 66! I always look forward to what you guys have to say. I really enjoy reading reviews. :D Hopefully I will be back again soon with another Chapter!**


	68. Chapter 68

With the Council meeting officially called to a close, Mother Nature and Father Time bid the other attendees a kind farewell. One by one the other Legendary Figures made their exits too, until only Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy and Santa were left in the kitchen. Frost himself was snacking on the corner of an unattended Gingerbread house while Scott, Curtis and the Tooth Fairy chatted excitedly about some of the Christmas' top toys. Considering this now as good a time as any, Jess tugged at her father's sleeve and cleared her throat loudly.

"_Ahem_, sorry to interrupt Tooth Fairy, But Santa, can I talk to you for a minute? We won't be long." She dragged her father off to a quiet corner of the kitchen without waiting for an answer. "Um Dad, what are you doing?"

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked.

"Frost, Dad!" She remarked in exasperation. "Christmas is already behind, Carol's going to have her baby any day now. Curtis has been struggling to fill Bernard's shoes. I've got enough going on at home, what are you thinking?"

"Well, Jess, I was thinking we could really use the help. We have so much going on this year. C'mon how bad could it be?" Santa looked across the kitchen to where Jack was. The winter warlock looked up from his gingerbread and waved. Everything about the gesture felt false to Jessica.

"I don't want to be responsible for him, and I don't want him anywhere near my elves." Jess folded her arms over her chest. A signal that she wouldn't soon change her mind about this.

"Oh-ho, they're your elves now?" Scott raised an eyebrow at his daughter.

"You know what I mean!" She huffed.

"Jessie, Princess, I don't like the idea much more than you do, but we really do need all the help we can get. I was even thinking of inviting your mom and Neil up while the Newman's are here. It might make things feel a little more normal."

"Let me read something to the two of you!" Jess once again removed the Christmas Handbook from her bag and began flipping through index. She found the section she was looking for and turned to the Chapter on Legendary Figures. Somewhere towards the end of this section she found a two page, full color, article on Jack Frost. Even from an artist's sketch in pen and ink Frost managed to rise an annoyance out of her.

"_Jack Frost is the title given to the Herald of the winter season. Frosting fruits, flowers, tree and other vegetation as well as covering the cool climates in a blanket of chill are among his primary responsibilities. Like most Legendary Figures the title is passed from person to person in a non-linear fashion…_Blah Blah Blah, here it is! _Although Frost is well liked among most magical folk, he has been known to have a mischievous agenda. Certain incarnations of the figure have been known to display a one-sided rivalry with Santa Claus. Father Christmas and high raking elves must be wary of Frost's icy grasp. He should never be given too many details about Santa, or the inner workings of the North Pole. _Jingle-Bells, Now I know what Bernard used to be so angry about has _anyone_ read this book?"

"The Handbook doesn't always represent people in the right light." Curtis explained. "Jack deserves a second chance."

"No." Jess shook her head. "He deserved to be suspended but thanks to the two of you he's going to have, how did the book put it? '_Too many details about Santa and the inner workings of the North Pole.'_ I hope you two are proud of yourselves, I'm done for the day!" She announced. "I'm going home and first thing tomorrow morning I'm going to get Mom and Neil. Maybe one of them can talk you out of this ridiculous idea. Oh, and wait till someone tells Carol!"

Jessica entered her home humming and hawing in a very out of character way. Bernard was in the Living Room reading a book with the twins played at his feet. He was surprised to see his wife home so early. Since she'd become Keeper of the Handbook she'd worked almost sunrise to sunset. Some nights she didn't come home at all. He'd suspected she was sleeping in her office to avoid him. Not that he blamed her. If the situation were reversed, he could very much see himself doing the same thing.

"Jess?" He watched her over the back of the couch. She was grumbling louder now, having just entangled herself in her own scarf. Bernard stood as quietly as possible so he would not gain his children's attention. With soft footsteps, he edged over to the doorway between the entrance hall and the kitchen. Thoroughly giving up on her scarf, Jess tossed the infuriating thing onto the floor in a ball.

"I know I'm not supposed to be here." She sighed. "I don't want to give you, Nick or Noel false hope that I've come back, but if you knew they day I've just had…"

"Jessica, this is your house." He told her, and he meant it. The small cottage he'd once called home was only a skeletal frame for the house that stood in its spot now. Whoever he had become since meeting Jessica Calvin had built this place for her. It was her house, his had been demolished years ago, and for good reason.

"It just doesn't feel like it anymore. I don't know who I am anymore, Bernard."

"You're Jessica Calvin." He answered plainly. "You're a smart, creative human turned elf who threw away what could have been a perfectly normal life for me. Well, a different me anyway. You made a life here and as fast as it had happened, everything was taken away from you. It's only normal for you to feel the way that you do. What's important is what you do now. It doesn't matter where you've been, it matters where you go next."

"That's the problem though! I don't know where I'm supposed to go. Curtis needs me to be, well Curtis, because he's so busy trying to be you! Something that shouldn't be so hard by the way since he's wanted to be you since he was five hundred. Carol needs me because my dad is too busy to be there for her. Dad! Oh man, my dad! He's so worried he's going to ruin his new family that I think he is actually doing it all over again. He wants Carol's parents to come here! Here to the North Pole! Can you imagine? As if that weren't enough, he and Curtis told the Council that Jack Frost could stay with us through Christmas…"

"Jack Frost? _The_ Jack Frost?" Bernard snarled. "Keep away from Santa and the North Pole at all costs, Jack Frost?"

"The very same." She nodded. "They're losing their minds."

"Jessica," Bernard gently placed one hand on each of her shoulders and looked into her eyes. It was the most loving touch they had shared in four years. "This is very important. You have to go back to the workshop and go directly to Quintin, make sure you're not overheard. Tell him I told you it's time for Operation Secret Santa. He'll know what it means. Tell him to modify it for Jack Frost, but you can't talk to anyone else. Especially not Curtis. Trust me, please."

Jess didn't know what to think. Whatever "Operation Secret Santa" was, it was obviously something Bernard and Quintin had crafted long before he'd met her. There was no way of knowing if it was a program that was even still active. Who knew, Bernard or Quintin may have decided it was unnecessary or outdated. Quintin might not even know what Bernard was talking about. Why was it so secretive anyway? Why couldn't she tell anyone?

But this was Bernard. He had been her best friend long before he had been her husband. No matter whatever else had happened between them, he had never led her astray before. This wasn't really about Jack Frost, Quintin, her father or anyone else. What this really came down to was, did she still trust Bernard? Sure, four years ago, she wouldn't have had a second thought about it. If she really wanted to move forward with her life, she had to do this.

She had to go see Quintin to honor the lost Bernard who had been her best friend. The lost Bernard who she had fallen in love with. She had to do it out of respect for the new man standing before her. The man who still had all the knowledge and talent she'd loved about him in the first place. She had to start putting her own family back together. So, with a small nod and a kiss on the cheek, Jess picked her scarf up off the floor and marched her way back through town towards Quintin's office.

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**A/n: Archdruid89, I really liked your idea of Jess trying to monitor Jack Frost and wanting to report him to the Council, but I have a few ideas of my own too. (Like getting Bernard involved a little to start rebuilding their relationship.) So i've decided to sort of blend your suggestions into an idea I was already working on where Bernard would sort of be helping Jess with her job from behind the scenes, and she would monitor Frost behind Santa and Curtis' backs. **

**QueenOfDorks, I think it's safe to say that Jess and Bernard are in for quite an adventure this Christmas especially with the whole family up at the Pole!**

**Thank you too disneyfan555, Ghostwriter, Achrdruid89, dreamlighting, FlowerChild23, QueenOfDorks, ArtemisRenee, &amp; BlueRaider1993 for your reviews of Chapter 67! I will try to be back with an update soon, thank you for all of your support whether it's simply reading, favoriting, following or reviewing! **


	69. Chapter 69

As usual, Quintin was easy enough to find. Research and Development had apparently been put in charge of making the North Pole appear as authentically Canadian as possible. The head of the department was right in the center of town, just outside the school house, when Jess went looking for him. She approached him casually. It seemed important that everyone else think she was just having a conversation with her old friend.

"Hey Q!" She called out to him with a smile. Quintin looked over his shoulder and smiled himself.

"Hello Jess. You've just missed Curtis. He was telling me about a small fight you had in the kitchen."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a fight." Jess rolled her eyes. "Did he also tell you that he and Dad invited Jack Frost to stay here through Christmas?"

"That's not exactly how he put it, no." Quintin frowned. "He said the Council ordered Frost to do community service." Jessica couldn't help but scoff.

"Is there any way I can steal you for few minutes? It won't take long." She promised. Quintin looked back at his team and watched. They were more than capable of handling their tasks without him stalking over them.

"Need a new jetpack to sneak away on?" He suggested with a smirk.

"Not quite." As they walked together to Quintin's office, Jess told her version of what had happened in the kitchen during to Council meeting. "So then when I went home to talk with Bernard…" Quintin stopped short, his hand hovering over his office doorknob.

"You talked to Bernard?" He was surprised.

"Curtis was being ridiculous, I didn't know who else to go to." She explained. "Don't get your hopes up."

"Whatever you say." Quintin shook his head, now twisting the doorknob. "But it seems to me that you're making progress. The North Pole's power couple will soon return to reclaim their rein."

"So dramatic." She rolled her eyes again. "Don't tell Judy, you'll just get her excited over nothing. Actually, you can't tell anyone at all. What I'm here for is sort of off the books."

"Why is it I'm always the first one you go to when it comes to "off the books" types of things?"

"This wasn't my idea. Bernard sent me." She said. The pair of friends were now safely inside Quintin's office. Jess made sure they were completely alone before continuing. "I know how this is going to sound and I'm sure what he mentioned to me isn't even active anymore, but I can't let Frost take this place down the way Toy Santa did a few years ago."

"I'll try and help if I can, what does our good friend Bernard suggest?" He asked.

"He told me to mention an Operation Secret Santa. He said you would be able to modify it for Frost." Jess explained. "I don't know if any of that means anything to you."

"No, it does." Quintin motioned for Jessica to follow him as he led the way out of the office. "Who else have you talked to about this?"

"No one." She promised, following him down a narrow corridor in the back of R&amp;D.

"You were right, this has to stay off the books." Quintin took a sharp left turn into another hallway. This one was so narrow the two of them could not walk shoulder to shoulder. At the end of the hall there was a tall thin door with no knob, just a thumbprint reader. Quintin pressed his thumb against the pad of the reader and the door swung open.

Jess and Quintin stepped inside what looked like an office. There were two desks pressed side by side together in the center of the room. The walls were lined with bookcases and filing drawers. It looked frozen in time, like nothing had been touched since it had been put in here.

"Bernard and I built this hundreds of years ago." Quintin told her as he shut the door behind them. "In here you'll find records of every Santa there ever was. There's also information about their Mrs. Claus, their families, where they are now and any other relevant information. I've seen your file, it's interesting."

"But what exactly is Operation Secret Santa?"

"It's a protocol we developed to stop any future Santa from going rogue on us. I think I know what He meant when he said he wanted to modify it for Jack Frost." Quintin walked over to one of the desks and opened the top drawer. From the drawer, he removed a file and handed it to Jess.

"This is like a surveillance system? That's it? Then why does everything have to be so…secretive?" Jess asked looking up from the file.

"It's simple. Let's say your father is our S.S. target. If we set up surveillance around the North Pole to try and prove that he's a bad Santa, well if you or Charlie knew about it you would make sure he would be on his best behavior around any of the surveillance equipment, wouldn't you?" Quintin asked.

"I suppose we would. I guess the same could be said of any elf that a Santa made a power play at. Like if he promised…I don't know the kitchen elves a large kitchen or something for cooperating with him."

"Exactly. The less people who know about Operation Secret Santa, the more authentic the results will be." Quintin nodded. "Only in this case, we'll be monitoring Jack Frost instead of your father. Leave the details to me, I'll tweak the plans and I'll let you know when everything is ready. For now its important that you act naturally and don't say anything to Curtis or Santa."

"Cross my heart and hope to die, Q. Maybe this year we'll save Christmas before it even has a chance to go wrong."

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it folks, Jess has a plan to at least monitor Frost and hopefully that will help Scott and the others once he starts making trouble! And with Bernard's help how could things go wrong?**

**A large thank you to Ghostwriter, dream lighting, FlowerChild23, AceThePyroBunny618, BlueRaider1993, obsessive360, nycsinger16, &amp; Painted heart for your reviews of Chapter 68! I always look forward to your reviews and hearing what everyone's thinking!**


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